Van Persie gives players two days off after Heerenveen’s first away win of the season | OneFootball

Heerenveen grabbed their first away win of the season on Sunday as they overcame Willem II in a late crescendo of action in Tilburg.

Ion Nicolaescu’s 85th-minute penalty and Luuk Brouwers’ injury-time strike either side of Mickey van der Hart’s 89th-minute own goal saw the Frisians see their first points on the road.

Speaking to ESPN.NL Robin van Persie was overjoyed. So much so, he gave his group two days off. “Based on the win. We were supposed to train tomorrow morning, but we can do that on Wednesday. The boys deserve it.”

After seven consecutive away defeats, they finally took the points home from the King Willem II Stadium. “This is the belief we talked about. You can concede a goal, but you always have to keep believing.”

It is quite a coincidence that Brouwers scored the winning goal. Last week he criticised the fans of SC Heerenveen, who chanted the name of substitute Simon Olsson while the first-team players did their utmost. After this win, his outlook changed.

“I think this describes football in a week. One week you get what you expect, the next week you are the match winner. I don’t want to take the credits. We had good conversations last week. When you win like this, it feels good.”

Despite Willem II’s late equalizer, the captain did not let himself be discouraged. “I felt like we were in a good place. That goal was a big blow, but we were the better team. It’s the first away win this year. Maybe it’s nice to mention. You’re on the bus for three hours and that’s not for nothing. A win is crucial and then it’s nice that it went our way.”

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield