Head coach Phillip Cocu was disappointed that his team let Excelsior get back in the game Sunday afternoon. Although his team won 2-1, they saw Excelsior come close to an equalizer. "We really had ourselves to blame for that," the coach said.
The first half was well cared for, Cocu thought. "We forced Excelsior back, created enough chances and scored good goals. There might have been more. When they scored in the second half, we got confused. At such a moment with you make the game neutral. Make sure they don't create any more chances and get the win in a businesslike manner. We didn't manage that and because of that we came under a lot of pressure in the closing stages."
It might not have come this far if a goal by Luuk de Jong had not been canceled. The striker worked the ball in immediately after halftime when the score was 0-2, but did so with his arm, according to the referee. "Unimaginable," De Jong was disappointed. I pushed the ball into the goal with my chest. And at 3-0 it just ended."