Two minutes and one second. That’s how long it took Go Ahead Eagles to make the difference against Excelsior on Saturday night. In the closing stages of the first half, the home side scored twice in a very short space of time, laying the foundation for the subsequent 3-1 victory.

The win, their first since mid-September, moves Go Ahead to tenth place in the ranking. Excelsior has the same score but a lower goal difference and is 11th.

Willumsson opens score

Little had happened at De Adelaarshorst until the magic minutes of Go Ahead. Both teams equalized in every respect. Where Excelsior had made a number of attempts at goal via Lazaros Lamprou, Bobby Adekanye and Bas Kuipers showed promise for the home side.

Excelsior goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel, who made the most saves of any goalkeeper this Eredivisie season, kept his goal clean for almost forty minutes. After that, it was hit twice within a short period of time.

Adekanye and Willum Willumsson played leading roles in both goals. First the Icelander launched an attack, then he slashed at Adekanye’s lead. Moments later, the tables turned when Adekanye scored from a Willumsson assist.

Go Ahead started the second half with an unexpected 2-0 lead. It was Excelsior’s first chance, who after long possession managed to put Lamprou in position. However, the Greek met keeper Jeffrey de Lange.

A few minutes later, the home side increased the lead. A long ball shot through and landed at Isac Lidberg’s feet. The Swedish striker stormed towards the Rotterdam goal and signed to make it 3-0.

Goal Lamprou too late

Excelsior, who beat AZ last week, then did something about Lamprou in return. The Greek crowned a good game with a good header (3-1), but defeat was inevitable for the Rotterdammer.