FC Groningen vs FC Utrecht

FC Groningen opened their Eredivisie season the way every home crowd dreams of, beating FC Utrecht 2-1 at Euroborg and spoiling new head coach Anthony Correia's first game in charge of the visitors. Groningen set the tone early and controlled long spells of the match, finishing well on top in possession. Brynjolfur Willumsson broke the deadlock in just the 8th minute, poking home after a deflected pass caught the Utrecht defense flat-footed. Groningen struck again soon after the restart, with Thom van Bergen lifting a finish over the keeper in the 48th minute to make it 2-0. Utrecht hit back through Blake in the 79th minute, tapping in after goalkeeper Vaessen was drawn off his line. The visitors also had a header ruled out for offside earlier in the game. It's a promising opening statement for Groningen after a mixed summer, while Utrecht's new era under Correia starts with a defeat and plenty to work on before the next fixture.