FC Utrecht lose to Lyon as Dutch clubs match unwanted European record
FC Utrecht fell to Olympique Lyonnais in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. A magnificent strike from Tanner Tessman gave the French side the win.This also meant that the Dutch sides have equaled the record for the worst start in a European football season, with five games played and five losses.
It is the second time that the Dutch sides have performed this badly in Europe, equaling the record set in the 2017-18 season, when Ajax, Utrecht, Feyenoord, and Vitesse picked up the losses.
FC Utrecht started the game with Sebastien Haller up front. Manager Ron Jans chose the Ivory Coast striker ahead of David Min. Ruben Kluivert was given a starting spot for the visitors. The 24-year-old son of Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert has played for Utrecht in the past.
The home team came close to breaking the deadlock in the fifth minute. A corner was headed on by Mike van de Hoorn to his center back partner Nick Viergever at the back post. Viergever was completely unmarked, and any decent contact of the ball would have resulted in a goal, but the 36-year-old failed to convert the chance.
A few minutes later, it was Lyon’s turn to miss a big chance. The team’s speedy winger, Malick Fofana, found space on the wing before crossing into the box, finding striker Adam Karabec unmarked in front of goal, but his effort went wide.
Haller came close to breaking the deadlock a minute after halftime when his effort from the edge of the area went just wide of the goal. But this paled in comparison to how close Lyon came in the 52nd minute. Similarly to the Viergever chance, a corner was headed on to the far post to Kluivert, and his header seemed meant to go into the net, but Vasilias Barkas made a magnificent stop to keep the score at 0-0.
Lyon took the lead in the 75th minute through a screamer of a goal. The ball rolled right into the path of Tanner Tessman, and the U.S. midfield did not hesitate, smashing it hard into the far corner.
This goal forced Jans’ side to go on the attack, and this resulted in several significant chances in the closing stages.
First, Min, who had come on as a substitute, stayed calm in the box to lay the ball to Gijval Zechiel, but the midfielder’s effort had too much power, going over the goal.
Then came Utrecht’s final chance, and it was a huge one. Van de Hoorn again won the header in the box, nodding it on to Haller, who was completely unmarked in the box, but the veteran striker did not make the right contact with the ball, and it rolled slowly into the hands of Lyon keeper Dominik Greif.
This led to a final score of 0-1. It marks Utrecht’s third loss in a row after they were defeated by Fortuna Sittard and FC Groningen in the Eredivisie. They face SC Heerenveen on Sunday.
