FC Utrecht beats FC Twente 2-1 away, Ángel Alarcón scoring twice after half-time

A stunt on the road

On Sunday, 18 October, FC Utrecht won 2-1 away at FC Twente in the Eredivisie. Twente were fifth and stood nine places above Utrecht before kick-off, and a win would have carried them into third ahead of Ajax and PSV. Utrecht arrived after their first home win of the season, against Willem II the week before, but coach Anthony Correia had to do without the injured first-choice goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas and midfielder Marius Broholm, who was ill. Sergio Padt stepped in for Barkas and made several good saves. This was Utrecht's first match against a side from the top five this season.

Weidmann opens the scoring, Alarcón turns it around

Twente started brightly, and Daan Rots hit the woodwork with a header early on. The first half was more even than the table suggested. Daouda Weidmann broke the deadlock before the break, turning away from Oualid Agougil and curling the ball into the far corner for 1-0. Utrecht had their own chances, with Dani de Wit, playing up front in the absence of Artem Stepanov, seeing an effort cleared off the line by Rots, while Joël Drommel saved a shot from Vesterlund. After the restart Ángel Alarcón combined well and shot into the far corner to level the score. About a quarter of an hour later he beat Drommel in the far corner again, and Utrecht led 2-1.

Twente press late, Utrecht hold on

Twente pushed Utrecht deep into their own half in the closing stages, but the visitors held on until the final whistle. John van den Brom sat on the bench for the 300th time in an Eredivisie match, and his side could not turn their home form into a result. Twente had won all four of their earlier home matches, including one against PSV, the champion. Alarcón had started on the bench against Willem II the week before, and this time he decided the match.