A star is born: Remco Balk
FC Groningen was in the news a month ago because of the return of Arjen Robben (who subsequently got injured), but now has a surprise new star in its line-up. Remco Balk, a 19-year-old debutant, scored the winning goal against the largest Dutch football club, Ajax, on Sunday.
FC Groningen provided a big surprise on Sunday afternoon by winning 1-0 against Ajax at home. Balk scored on the 49th minute for the only goal of the match, reports RTV Noord. Balk, who was born in 2001 in Zuidhoorn (Gemeente Westerkwartier), has so far made two appearances for the Netherlands’ under-21 national team. This was his second appearance for FC Groningen this season.
FC Groningen looked fairly solid in the first half and scored the decisive goal just after the break. Jørgen Strand Larsen, a new summer signing, swung a cross into the box with Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana initially clearing the ball, which was then pounced upon by Balk. The Trots van het Norden then clung on until the final whistle, with Ajax even hitting the bar twice in one attack after going behind.
Appearance information from Transfermarkt
Image (of FC Groningen fans in a game against Ajax in 2007) by Flickr user Antoon Kuper. License here.
