Go Ahead Eagles rue missed chances in 1-1 draw against Groningen
Go Ahead Eagles left to rue missed chances as Groningen escape De Adelaarshorst with a point
Go Ahead Eagles 1–1 FC Groningen.
On paper, a fair result. On the pitch, it felt like a robbery the home crowd had to swallow.
For long spells in Deventer, Go Ahead chased, probed and pushed Groningen back. They dictated the tempo, pinned the visitors in and kept coming. Yet they still fell behind to a bolt from nowhere.
Groningen strike against the flow
Against the run of play, Groningen landed the first blow. Brynjólfur Willumsson picked up the ball on the edge of the box, took aim and unleashed. His strike ripped past Kjetil Haug and crashed into the net: 0-1. Clinical. Ruthless. And completely at odds with the pattern of the match.
From that moment, Groningen retreated. Lines dropped. Shirts tucked in tight around their own area. Go Ahead had to chase the game, and one man in particular took that personally.
Søren Tengstedt buzzed around the final third, constantly looking for space, constantly demanding the ball. He almost levelled with a gorgeous, weighted lob that seemed destined to float in, only for Etienne Vaessen to backpedal and claw it away with an outstanding save.
The warning signs for Groningen were clear. They ignored them and hung on until half-time.
Pressure builds, Groningen bend but don’t break
After the interval, Joseph Oosting sent his side out with even more intent. Go Ahead stepped higher, moved the ball quicker and started finding gaps. Chances followed.
Thibo Baeten went close. Stefan Ingi Sigurdarson had a sight of goal. The stadium crackled every time the ball was worked into the box. Groningen, though, refused to crack. Blocks, clearances, desperate last touches – anything to protect that fragile lead.
Time ticked away. The tension rose. The pattern did not change.
Then the pressure finally told.
In the 82nd minute, Go Ahead sliced through the middle with the kind of flowing move their dominance deserved. The ball broke to Tengstedt and the in-form striker made no mistake this time. He thundered his finish past Vaessen for 1-1.
Goal number five of the season. Top of the Eredivisie scoring charts. A striker playing with conviction and edge.
Agony at the death
The equaliser should have settled Go Ahead. It did the opposite. Smelling blood, they surged forward again. A point was no longer enough.
The moment arrived. The stadium held its breath.
Sigurdarson found himself with the chance every striker dreams of: the goal gaping, 2-1 at his feet, the comeback there to complete. Somehow, he dragged his finish wide. An open goal, a sliding finish, and disbelief frozen on every face in red and yellow.
From the away end, it felt like a let-off. From the home stands, it felt like a punch to the gut.
When the whistle finally went, both teams had to live with a draw. Officially, they shared the points. Emotionally, it was anything but equal.
Go Ahead walked off with a sour taste, knowing they had done enough to win – twice over. Groningen, exhausted and emptied, had nothing more to give and will quietly cherish the point.
If Tengstedt keeps scoring like this and chances like Sigurdarson’s keep falling their way, how long before Go Ahead turn frustration into something far more dangerous for the rest of the league?
