Willem II make Eredivisie comeback as keeper's penalty condemns Volendam

Following a 2-1 victory for FC Volendam against Willem II in Tilburg last Wednesday, the Eredivisie outfit aimed to protect their slender one-goal advantage during Saturday's home fixture.

Willem II swiftly overturned FC Volendam's lead within 20 minutes, with Siegert Baartmans and Finn Stam effectively securing their promotion to the Eredivisie.

Yannick Leliendal, the Surinamese international, levelled the tie with a long-range strike just before half-time, setting up a thrilling finale.

Robert Mühren had a glorious chance to restore Volendam's top-flight status when he found himself through on goal against Thomas Didillon-Hödl late in the game, but his shot struck the post and a follow-up header went astray, ensuring a nail-biting conclusion.

Volendam's penalty woes continue

With the match tied 3-3 on aggregate after 90 minutes, Mühren thought he had scripted a fairytale ending in extra time, only for the effort to be disallowed due to a prior infringement by Leliendal.

The decisive penalty shootout saw the hosts falter early, paving the way for Willem II's custodian Didillon-Hödl to etch his name in folklore by converting the winning spot-kick, sending Willem II back to the Eredivisie at Volendam's expense.

This marked the second consecutive week Volendam succumbed to a goalkeeper's penalty, mirroring Telstar's Ronald Koeman's late strike which preserved their Eredivsie status last weekend.