Zwolle’s comeback‑coup turns the Eagles into feather‑dusters

A half‑hour into the second half, the home crowd’s chants were still echoing the Eagles’ early lead. By the final whistle, PEC Zwolle had turned the match into a fireworks display, leaving Go Ahead with a solitary souvenir.

The first 45 minutes were a textbook case of “don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Go Ahead’s striker, Luca de la Fuente, tucked in the opening goal at 22’, and the Eagles rode the wave of confidence into the break, 1‑0 up. Zwolle’s manager, John Stegeman, must have whispered something about “keep calm and finish the job” in the dressing room, because the second half was a different story.

At the restart, the ball found its way to midfield dynamo Jens Jongen, who flicked a perfect through‑ball to Sébastien Haller. The French forward made no mistake, firing home the equaliser in the 52nd minute. The goal seemed to unlock a floodgate; within ten minutes, Haller’s partner Milan van Ewijk smashed a low drive into the top corner, 2‑1.

Eagles tried to regroup, but Zwolle’s pressing machine was relentless. A quick counter‑attack in the 71st minute saw winger Joris van Hout sprint past two defenders and slot a neat finish, 3‑1. The final nail came in the 84th, when substitute Khalid Boulahrouz, on his first touch, curled a free‑kick over the wall and into the net. The 4‑1 scoreline was a statement: Zwolle had not just won, they’d re‑asserted themselves as a force that refuses to be written off.

For Go Ahead, the only thing they managed to keep was a single point from an otherwise embarrassing night. Their defence looked like a sieve, and the midfield failed to link up, leaving the forwards starved of service.

What this means on the ladder – Zwolle, who were languishing in the lower half of the table before the match, claw their way a spot up, edging closer to the safety zone. The Eagles, sitting mid‑table, slip a place and now find themselves battling a tighter cluster of teams for European spots.

Player Ratings

Sébastien Haller (Zwolle) – 8.5 – Clinical finisher, two goals and a constant aerial threat.
Milan van Ewijk (Zwolle) – 8.0 – Sharp, decisive, and the architect of the second goal.
Joris van Hout (Zwolle) – 7.5 – Pace and precision on the wing, added the third.
Khalid Boulahrouz (Zwolle) – 7.0 – Impact sub, free‑kick specialist.
Luca de la Fuente (Eagles) – 6.5 – Scored the opener but faded thereafter.
Go Ahead defence (collective) – 5.0 – A porous backline that couldn’t cope with Zwolle’s intensity.