Mees Hilgers Injured In The First Round, Twenty Won No More In The Europa League

Mees Hilgers had to leave in the first half in the Europa League match against Olympiacos (doc. FC Twenty).

FC Twenty again failed to win in the 2024/2025 Europa League when they visited Olympiakos headquarters on Friday, December 13, 2024, early morning WIB.

FC Twenty only came home with one point from the Georgios Karaiskaki Stadium, Athens, Greece, after the game ended goalless.

In addition to extending the negative record in the Europa League, disaster came for the Indonesian national team player, Mees Hilgers.

He was injured and had to be replaced by Gustaf Lagerbielke in the 37th minute.

Joseph Oosting was indeed crushed by the large number of injured players in the match against Olympiakos.

Apart from Hilgers, Youri Pieter, who was also withdrawn in the first half and replaced by Sayfollah Ltaief. Then Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Michal Sadilek were replaced in the second half for the same reason.

"Sometimes you are forced to make substitutions. We already know that Ricky can't play football for nineteen minutes."

"So, we have a puzzle that must be solved, but before the break you have to make two substitutions due to injury."

"It's a shame for the team in the game. We have to get results here. So, we switched offensively, with Michel Vlap behind as Youi and Sayfollah," Oosting said referring to the withdrawal of Youri Regeer and Mees Hilgers.

Seeing that situation, one point from Olympiakos headquarters is fairly appropriate. Twenty started by including Lars Unnerstall and Ricky van Wolfswinkel as starters.

Twenty took the initiative in the early minutes and found a way into the home goal. After eight minutes of playing, they immediately got their best chance of leading.

Defender Olympiakos did a handball in the penalty box in a duel with Michel Vlap. The French referee who led the match immediately pointed to the spot.

Unfortunately, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who became the executor, failed to beat Kostas goalkeeper Tzolakis.

That failure made Twente's game decrease. The host used that condition to put pressure on the back. Several chances of birth, but not dangerous enough to score goals.

"I understand the dilemma that there may be more than that. You hope to take the lead and of course you have to do it from the penalty, but we are lucky the same thing happened on the other side," said captain Ricky van Wolfswinkel after the game.

Before half an hour of the game goes, disaster comes for Twenta. Youri Regeer had to end the match in the 23rd minute. The midfielder was injured and replaced by Sayfullah Ltaief.

Ten minutes before the break, Oosting saw another player leave. Mees Hilgers had to be replaced by Gustaf Lagerbielke.

When the first half left five minutes, the Olympiakos striker appeared in the Twente penalty box and fell during a duel with Michal Sadilek.

Once again, the referee pointed to the spot. Luckily, Unnerstall was able to reach El Kaabi's shot to thwart the hosts' goal.

Continuing to the second half, nothing has changed much. Twenty took more initiatives at the start, while Olympiakos began to dominate possession in the middle of the round.

However, Twente had appeared dangerous. Anass Salah-Eddine got a through ball to qualify from the opponent's defender's guard, but his shot was still soaring.

The pressure on the Twente goal increased after an hour of the match. Olympiacos got the biggest chance. El Kaabi was given room to kick, but fortunately his shot bounced.

After 70 minutes, Sem Steijn needed a little more luck to surprise the Olympiacos goalkeeper.

Steijn made a long-range shot, but Tzolakis made another brilliant save.

Over time and nearing 90 minutes, tensions at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium are increasing.

Olympiakos strikers are looking for an opportunity and Twenty is entering the final phase of the match with three fresh players.

Pressure on the Unnerstall goal increased, but he managed to block the balls several times.

Twenty then increased vigilance on injury time. By relying on a counter-attack scheme, they almost opened the scoring through Daan Rots. It's just that, his shot is still wide.

"We entered the second half with good feelings. We were great in that game."

"We were careless in the second half. There were opportunities and changes. In the end, it depends on the quality in a game like this, but we were too careless."

"It also means you don't do it, don't have enough power to move forward. We give everything and fight," Wolfswinkel said again.

The results of the series made FC Twenty slump again in the standings by ranking 30th. They packed four points from six matches that had been played.

Oosting's team have never won a journey in the Europa League. In detail, four draws and two defeats.

However, Oosting is well aware that one point achievement feels fair for his troops.

"The plan is right. We can easily dominate the ball. In the end you get a penalty, which unfortunately doesn't get a goal."

"However, we also did not concede a penalty that Lars could save. It's not easy to play football here."

"I think my players, including my players who came in, did a good job," said the coach.

There are still two matches left in the group stage. Oosting felt that Twente's chances were still open to qualify for the knockout stages.

They will travel to Malmo headquarters on January 24, 2024 and host Besiktas on January 31, 2024.

"We're still alive. We have to get results. That's why we sit down and watch the game. It gives a boost that you get a point here," Oosting said again.

The Lineup Of Olympiakos Vs Twenty Players

Olympiacos: Tzolakis, Rodinei, Retsos (58' Carmo), Pirola, Ortega (82' Biancone), Mouzakitis (82' Stamenic), Hezze, Kostoulas (82' Yaremchuk), Martins, El Kaabi, Willian (68' Costinha)

FC Twenty: Unnerstall, Van Rooij, Hilgers (37' Lagerbielke), Van Hoorenbeeck, Salah-Eddine, Sadilek (80' Kjolo), Regeer (23' Ltaief, 79' Van Bergen), Steijn, Van Wolfswinkel (79 'rotting), Lammers, Vlap