Fortuna wins on emotional night in Emmen
Fortuna won Saturday night's away match against FC Emmen 0-1. Fifteen minutes before time, Oguzhan Özyakup scored the winning goal with a well-aimed shot. It was an emotional evening, the game was dominated by the earthquake disaster that occurred this week in Turkey and Syria. With Dogan Erdogan, Burak Yilmaz and match winner Özyakup, Fortuna had three players with Turkish roots at the kickoff. Before the match started, one minute of silence was observed to commemorate the many victims. Fortuna played in special shirts with Giro555 on the front, the bank account number on which money can be donated for the people in the affected area.
Fortuna could not have both wing defenders due to injuries, both Ivo Pinto and George Cox were not at the kickoff. Rémy Vita and Dogan took their places. The home club, which until last night had only lost at home to AZ, had the first big chance of the match. A cross from former Fortunean Mark Diemers was worked over from close range by Jeremy Antonisse. Fifteen minutes later, Diemers himself was close to a goal, but his shot went just over.
After half an hour Fortuna threatened the home team's goal several times. After a quick counter, initiated by the strong playing Inigo Córdoba, the quick Úmaro Embaló did not go for his own success, he served Burak. However, the ball landed slightly behind the striker, his effort going wide of the goal. Barely three minutes later, Córdoba produced a fine cross from the right side, Úmaro headed hard over.
A few seconds after halftime Fortuna had a good chance to open the score, Córdoba forced Emmen goalkeeper Mickey van der Hart into a save. After ten minutes of play, the home club's goalkeeper made a mistake during the build-up, which initially led to a chance for Burak. In the rebound Kristijan Bistrovic got the chance to score. Again, the goalkeeper of the team from Drenthe stood firm.
Fortuna was the team with the biggest threat, and after just over 75 minutes of play, head coach Julio Velázquez's team finally rewarded itself with a goal. Once again, Córdoba was at the base, playing Burak, who with a chop ball put the ball at the feet of substitute Tijjani Noslin, who gave the ball back to the handy Spanish striker. With a shot into the far corner, Özyakup found the net: 0-1. After his goal the midfielder showed a shirt with the text "Pray for Turkey" to once again draw attention to the situation in the country.
Emmen tried to push, but the team lacked real conviction. Yet there was one more precarious moment in front of the Fortuna Sittard goal, when substitute Ben Scholte forced Ivor Pandur into a fine save with a shot from close range in extra time. Moments later the fourth away win of the season was a fact, with ten points from the last four games Fortuna has done excellent business in the league table. The fanatical supporters in the packed away box -made possible by main sponsor BetCity- were obviously pleased with the fine result and could start the long journey back to Sittard in good spirits.
