Robin van Persie left fuming at SCANDALOUS error that left Heerenveen playing against 12 men
Heerenveen boss Robin van Persie was left fuming, after opponents Fortuna Sittard playing with 12 men on the pitch went unnoticed for a while.
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Robin van Persie was left fuming after his side Heerenveen had to play against 12 men briefly, during a Eredivisie match. (via Metro)
Heerenveen manager forward Robin van Persie was left fuming, after his opponents Fortuna Sittard were momentarily allowed to field 12 players in an Eredivisie match. The former Arsenal forward was cut out an increasingly frustrated figure, as he questioned the referee’s erratic decisions.
Heerenveen looked to seal the match, as they entered the final minutes with a 2-1 advantage over visiting Fortuna Sittard. Robin van Persie‘s side had taken the lead through goals from Levi Smans and Eser Gurbuz. However, the home side conceded a late 90th minute equalizer. The late goal came after a brief controversy regarding Fortuna’s substitutions and the referee’s decision-making.
Fortuna Sittard made two substitutions in the 88th minute. Darijo Grujcic and Owen Johnson were brought on to replace Ryan Fosso and Jasper Dahlhaus. However, Dahlhaus surprisingly did not make his way out of the pitch. He played for another minute, before being spotted by Heerenveen boss Robin van Persie. The manager notified the officials, as the visitors were bizarrely playing with 12 men.
During the match between SC Heerenveen and Fortuna Sittard, there was an incident where Fortuna briefly had 12 players on the field due to a misunderstanding during a substitution.
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This happened towards the end of the game in the 88th minute, leading to a goal by Fortuna in… pic.twitter.com/MQv6RsNudc
Van Persie’s complaint led to Fortuna full-back Dahlhaus being quickly shown the way out. The ex-Arsenal forward was livid at full-time. He blamed the visitors’ one-man advantage as a reason for his side’s failure to win. Moreover, he sarcastically also took a dig at the fourth official’s role in the incident. Van Persie claimed it to be scandalous to have a match with 23 players on the pitch.
Fortuna Sittard had 12 men on the field for a minute before that throw-in. Apparently that is allowed and possible. You can’t imagine that?… I really can’t understand that. I think this is really scandalous.
Robin van Persie on the substitution controversy (H/T TalkSport)
Nonetheless, the draw left Heerenveen in the 10th position on the Dutch league table, with 25 points from 21 matches. Fortuna on the other hand, remain one point and two places ahead of their rivals, in the 8th position on the Eredivisie table.
Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie’s left foot no match for Gareth Bale’s, says ex-Tottenham star
Ex-Tottenham and Swansea City goalkeeper Michel Vorm stated that Gareth Bale‘s left foot is the best that he has ever seen. He surprisingly went on to claim that the Welshman was better than the iconic Dutch duo of Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie.
Vorm had the opportunity of playing alongside some of the best left-footed players, including Robben, van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart. Despite that, he expressed admiration for Gareth Bale, claiming that it supersedes even those iconic Dutchmen. Vorm labeled the Welshman as a ‘machine’, while also adding that he was unbelievable during his time at Real Madrid and Tottenham.
Gareth Bale is naturally very talented. He’s like a machine. And his left foot is… I’ve seen a lot of good left feet, Arjen Robben, [Robin] van Persie, [Rafael] van der Vaart, but Bale was unbelievable.
Michel Vorm in an interview (via Football London)
Gareth Bale however, could never reach the same heights as it was expected. He led Wales to their first-ever Euro semi-final in 2016. Bale also won La Liga, five UCL and three FIFA Club World Cup titles with Real Madrid.
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Siddhartha Roy
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