Goalless draw against Sparta Rotterdam
Fortuna and Sparta Rotterdam kept each other in balance Friday night: 0-0. The home club did not get their reward, especially in the second half there were enough chances to score. Nevertheless, the Sittard formation is on a good run with seven points from three games.
After recent wins over sc Heerenveen and SC Cambuur, a surprisingly well-performing club visited Sittard with Sparta Rotterdam. Ranking sixth in the Eredivisie, the Rotterdammers are performing above expectations. Until the match on Milan Street, Maurice Steijn's team had gone eight games without defeat.
Fortuna was dangerous twice in the opening stages. From a difficult angle Oguzhan Özyakup forced goalkeeper Nick Olij to save, a few minutes later Kristijan Bistrovic tested the qualities of the keeper of the Rotterdammers. After that both teams kept each other in balance for a long time, the respect for each other was great, real chances were scarce. After a little more than half an hour the guests appeared dangerous in front of Fortuna goalie Ivor Pandur twice. Pandur saved the ball before Vito van Crooij could become dangerous, and a bit later an Arno Verschueren header went over the goal. Just before halftime another chance for Fortuna, a cross from Ivo Pinto was headed over by Inigo Córdoba.
After halftime the home crowd went fanatically behind the team once more, after more than sixty minutes the chances followed each other in quick succession. Bistrovic took two shots from distance, again Olij saved with the necessary effort. A header by Dimitrios Siovas went over the goal, an effort by the other central defender Rodrigo Guth was again a prey for Olij. No matter what Fortuna tried, the ball would not go into the goal.
The guests had one chance for a goal in the second half, fifteen minutes before time Younes Namli came face to face with Pandur. The Fortuna goalkeeper showed his class and made a fine save. In the closing stages Fortuna came close to scoring the winning goal twice. The biggest chance was for Córdoba, after good preparatory work by substitute Tijjani Noslin, who headed over the goal from ten meters. In the added time, a shot by Noslin from the edge of the penalty area ended up in the hands of Olij again.
