Football · Zagreb and Nijmegen
NEC beats Dinamo Zagreb 4-2 in Europa League for first win since August
Tjaronn Chery scored twice as NEC won 4-2 in Croatia, while Bryan Linssen and Clement Bischoff also found the net. The result ended a run of eight matches in all competitions without a win.
In brief
NEC won 4-2 at Dinamo Zagreb on 22 October, their first win since August, after NOS counted eight consecutive matches in all competitions without a win.
Tjaronn Chery scored the 54th-minute goal after a Bryan Linssen cross and settled the match in the 80th minute with a long-range shot.
AD.nl highlights Bryan Linssen (36) and Tjaronn Chery (38) as the driving forces, with Linssen heading NEC level at 2-2 just before half-time.
After a 5-0 defeat at Juventus and a 1-1 draw with Levski Sofia, NEC had one point from two matches and now have four points from three, according to AD.nl.
- Around the half-hour markClement Bischoff gives NEC the lead after a through ball from Perr Schuurs
- Just before half-timeBryan Linssen heads NEC level at 2-2
- 54th minuteA Linssen cross is touched by Tjaronn Chery and NEC retake the lead
- 80th minuteTjaronn Chery scores with a long-range shot, completing NEC's 4-2 win
A first-half turnaround
NEC won 4-2 at Dinamo Zagreb on 22 October, their first win since August and their first in the Europa League league phase, according to NOS and AD.nl. Dick Schreuder's side arrived in Croatia after eight straight matches without a win in all competitions. AD.nl credits two veterans, Bryan Linssen (36) and Tjaronn Chery (38), as the driving forces behind the result. Dinamo had the first real chance after a quarter of an hour, when Luka Stojkovic broke through and goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz did not deal with the danger cleanly, before defender Ahmetcan Kaplan cleared the ball just short of the line.
The visitors struck soon afterwards. A superb through ball from Perr Schuurs found Tobias Storm, whose cross Clement Bischoff finished after Noé Lebreton failed to get a touch, having hit the crossbar just before. According to AD.nl, Bischoff's goal came just over the half-hour mark.
Dinamo's reply and the half-time equaliser
The lead did not last long. Dion Beljo brought Dinamo level, and a goal by Luka Ivanusec, a former Feyenoord player, was ruled out for offside shortly afterwards. NEC lost their shape again when a deep ball reached Stojkovic, and Beljo had two shooting chances, the second of them on target. Just before the interval, Bryan Linssen headed NEC level at 2-2 with a fine header.
Two goals after the break
NEC retook the lead in the 54th minute. A Linssen cross was minimally touched by Tjaronn Chery, and Dinamo goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski had no chance. This time the Nijmegen side held on to their advantage. Chery settled the contest in the 80th minute with a beautifully struck long-range shot that flew past everyone and into the net. NEC kept pressing and came close to a fifth goal, but the match ended 4-2 in their favour.
Form before the trip and what the win changes
Before this match, NEC had lost 5-0 at Juventus in Turin and drawn 1-1 at home to Levski Sofia, leaving them with one point from two matches. Their win in Zagreb brought them four points from three fixtures, a far brighter picture according to AD.nl. NOS noted that NEC's previous eight matches in all competitions had all ended without a win, so this result breaks that run. Linssen and Chery were involved in three of NEC's four goals: Linssen with the header before half-time and the cross for the 54th-minute goal, and Chery with both of his strikes.