After the first legs of the semi-finals in the Eredivisie's promotion play-offs, FC Dordrecht dealt the first blow, and FC Den Bosch and Telstar kept each other in balance in the first legs.
FC Den Bosch - Telstar: 0-0
In a festival of boredom in 's Hertogenbosch, FC Den Bosch and Telstar kept the first leg of their play-off semi-final goalless. The home side created a spare chance in the first half when Greek striker Konstantinos Doumtsios fired the ball over the bar following a precise low cross from Byron Burgering, but couldn't create much more.
Visitors Telstar, who eliminated ADO Den Haag in the quarter-finals, saw top scorer Youssef El Kachati get to one chance in the first half when the striker couldn't chip the ball over stopper Pepijn van de Merbel. In the second half, FC Den Bosch came close once again to scoring, but saw Sheddy Barglan's deflected shot narrowly miss Ronald Koeman Jr.'s goal.
The second leg will be played on Friday, May 23rd, in Velsen-Zuid.
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FC Dordrecht - Willem II: 2-1
Eredivisie side Willem II were dealt a hard blow after FC Dordrecht beat the Tilburg side 2-1 in the first leg of the semi-final.
Willem II, who won the Keuken Kampioen Divisie in 2024 but were forced back into the relegation play-offs after not winning a single game in the second half of the Eredivisie season, started miserably and were down 2-0 within thirty minutes after Devin Haen and Sem Valk scored for the home side after two assists from Jari Schuurman.
The visitors hit back before half-time via Ringo Meerveld, who scored after an impressive solo effort in Dordrecht's box.
Players and staff of FC Dordrecht pose for a group photo after the 2-1 win over Willem IIYannick Verhoeven, Parallax Pictures / Alamy / Profimedia
Willem II dialled up the pressure after the break and peppered Dordrecht's goal with effort after effort. The visitors were denied a penalty in the 46th minute after Emilio Kehrer was pushed in the back, but referee Rob Dieperink refused to put the ball on the spot.
Assist king Schuurman almost put Dordrecht up 3-1 with an effort towards Thomas Didillon-Hodl's near post, but the Frechman safely parried the ball away.
A disappointing Willem II failed to beat Celton Biai a second time after firing just three of their 19 second-half attempts at the Bissau-Guinean's goal. FC Dordrecht will head to Tilburg with a 2-1 lead and fight for a spot in the final of the play-offs on Saturday, May 24th.