Willem II 2-2 SC Heerenveen: Heerenveen Rescue Point After Second-Half Comeback
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
The Basics First
Willem II versus SC Heerenveen. Sunday afternoon. Two goals each. On paper it looks like a fair result. The thing is, fair results can mask a lot of problems. Willem II came into this match having lost their two previous Eredivisie fixtures, conceding four goals in each. Heerenveen were not exactly flying either, having lost their most recent Eredivisie match to PEC Zwolle. Something had to give. What gave, in the end, was Willem II's ability to defend a lead when it mattered.
A Second Half That Told the Story
All four goals arrived after the break. That first half produced nothing on the scoresheet, which is about as honest a summary as you will get. The second half was a different animal entirely.
Willem II drew first blood through Uriël van Aalst on 61 minutes. A right-foot finish, assisted by Nathan Tjoe-A-On. Fine. You take that. You build on it. You make yourself hard to break down. Willem II did none of those things.
Three minutes later, Heerenveen were level. Jacob Trenskow put it away with his left foot, Dylan Vente providing the assist. Three minutes. That is all it took. You cannot concede three minutes after scoring and expect to come away with anything. That is not bad luck. That is a failure of basics.
Oliver Braude made it 2-1 to Heerenveen on 77 minutes, assisted by Levi Smans who had only come on as a substitute eight minutes earlier. Let that sink in. A substitute sets up the goal that puts you behind. Willem II then hit back through Devin Haen on 82 minutes, Calvin Twigt with the assist, to level at 2-2. Credit where it is due. They kept competing. But a point was not what either side really needed from this one.
What the Stats Tell You
Heerenveen dominated with 61 per cent possession and completed 451 passes at 88 per cent accuracy. Willem II managed 39 per cent possession and 320 passes at 77 per cent. Listen, I do not care which team controls the ball more if they cannot turn it into something meaningful. But those numbers tell you who was the more composed side across the 90 minutes.
Both teams registered 12 shots total. Heerenveen had five on target to Willem II's four. Heerenveen also created five big chances and missed three of them. That is unacceptable at this level. You create five big chances in a competitive Eredivisie match and you score two? That is not good enough. Willem II created two big chances and missed one.
Willem II attempted 23 crosses and landed seven accurately. Heerenveen put 22 crosses in and landed two. The home side were direct and persistent in wide areas. The problem was the defensive side of the game. Willem II made only two interceptions all match. Heerenveen made seven. Willem II won 18 tackles to Heerenveen's nine. The tackle count in Willem II's favour tells you they were chasing the game for long periods, not controlling it.
Heerenveen hit the woodwork once. Corners were nine to Willem II and seven to Heerenveen. Neither side kept the ball out of their net when it counted. Willem II's clean sheet percentage coming into this match was zero from two Eredivisie matches. Nothing that happened here changes that story.
The Injury Situation
Heerenveen were without several players through injury before this match, including players carrying major and long-term problems. Six absences in total across varying levels of severity. That context matters when you are assessing their performance. They were dealing with real squad pressure. The thing is, that is not an excuse. You field what you have and you compete. Heerenveen competed. They came from behind to earn a point away from home.
Willem II's Form Cannot Be Ignored
In their two completed Eredivisie matches before this game, Willem II lost to GO Ahead Eagles, going down 1-4, and lost to NEC Nijmegen, also 1-4. Eight goals conceded in two matches. They scored one in each. This draw is not a good result dressed up. It is a slightly less bad result than the previous two. The standards here are not where they need to be. The desire to compete when a goal goes in against you is there, as Haen's 82nd-minute equaliser showed. But the desire to protect a lead, to shut things down, to do the ugly and difficult things when you are in front? That is missing.
Heerenveen Take Something From It
Across their five most recent Eredivisie matches, Heerenveen had won one, drawn two and lost two. This draw in Tilburg is not a result that changes the mood dramatically. But it shows character. They went behind. They turned it around. They conceded again. They held on for a point. Trenskow and Braude both took their goals well. Smans made an immediate impact from the bench to contribute to the second goal. That is accountability in action. You come on and you make something happen.
The clean sheet percentage of 40 per cent across their last five Eredivisie matches shows Heerenveen can keep opponents out. They did not do it here, but Willem II's attacking threat was real enough, even if their overall quality in possession was limited.
The Verdict
A point each. Willem II stay winless in the Eredivisie from their three completed matches this campaign. Heerenveen take something from a trip away from home. Neither manager will be satisfied. Nor should they be. Willem II had the lead and threw it away within three minutes. Heerenveen had more than enough chances to win this comfortably and did not take them. Both sides have serious work to do on the basics. End of.