Roda’s Stubborn Ascent Continues: Breij Inspires 2-0 Win Over Almere City, Cementing Title Aspirations in Parkstad Limburg
On a brisk October night thickened by anticipation, Roda JC Kerkrade wrote another ambitious chapter in their Eerste Divisie campaign. Raising their tally to 21 points and solidifying fourth place, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side dispatched Almere City FC 2-0 at Parkstad Limburg Stadion, a scoreline that belied stretches of tense equilibrium and underscored Roda’s intensifying hunger for promotion.
The hosts arrived emboldened by a 6-0 rout of Den Bosch just three days earlier—a statement making result headlined by Michael Breij’s four-goal performance, the kind of individual exhibition that lingers in a squad’s subconscious and stirs confidence even before kickoff. Almere City, meanwhile, were mired in inconsistency, their previous five matches yielding only one win and two draws, failing to summon the steadfast energy that carried them to an easy victory over Jong Utrecht in late September.
Through the first hour, neither side seemed eager to relinquish control. Roda, with their midfield triangle anchored by Anthony van den Hurk, pressed high but found Almere’s back line organized and alert. Almere, for their part, relied on the metronomic rhythm set by Teun Bijleveld, who had rescued a point late against Cambuur, but tonight’s attack lacked the venom needed to trouble Roda’s retooled defense.
The contest’s equilibrium fractured in the 66th minute when Michael Breij, Roda’s cerebral playmaker, once again imposed himself. Latching onto a loose ball at the edge of the box, Breij took a measured pause before curling his left-footed shot beyond Almere goalkeeper Nordin Bakker. It wasn’t merely a goal—it was the assertion of form, tactics, and confidence distilled into a moment that felt inevitable after his recent exploits.
That strike shattered Almere’s resistance. Forced to chase, they pressed forward with greater urgency, but their efforts were undone by wayward finishing and a lack of composure in the final third. Julian Rijkhoff, Almere’s young marksman, failed to conjure the same spark he had shown in September; instead, Roda’s back line, marshaled by Mitchell Paulissen and Cain Seedorf, absorbed the pressure and transitioned smoothly into counter-attacks.
As the final whistle approached, the tension in Parkstad Limburg remained palpable. Almere, desperate to reverse their downward spiral—now at 14th in the table, eleven points off the pace—committed numbers forward. Their gamble left them exposed, and in the 90th minute, Roda produced the coup de grâce. The identity of the scorer was lost in the scrum but not the meaning: A well-timed run met a decisive cross, and the scoreboard flickered to 2-0—a reflection of clinical execution and a side that’s learning to close out games with ruthless efficiency.
For Almere, the defeat stings not simply for its immediate consequence but for what it signals: six losses in eleven matches, the flickering confidence, and a tactical identity drifting in search of answers. The brief resurgence after their Jong Utrecht demolition has evaporated; instead, the frailties exposed by Helmond Sport, De Graafschap, and now Roda, have become recurring motifs. If manager Alex Pastoor cannot solve his side’s defensive lapses and rekindle attacking cohesion, the specter of relegation may soon loom larger than the hope of resurgence.
Roda’s victory is more than three points—it’s reinforcement of a narrative forming across their past five outings. Since the humbling 1-4 loss to Waalwijk a month ago, they’ve reeled off three wins and a draw, outscoring opponents 12-3 in that span. Breij, van den Hurk, and Paulissen have shared the attacking burden, and the side’s resilience has begun to mirror that of promotion-winning squads of years past.
Historically, this fixture has oscillated between tight contests and sporadic drama, with neither club able to claim sustained dominance in recent years. Tonight, however, Roda’s composure and Almere’s fragility rendered the result a microcosm of their respective campaigns.
Looking ahead, Roda’s supporters will circle the calendar with growing optimism. Fourth place at this stage of the season is not only promising—it’s a platform from which dreams of Eredivisie football may plausibly be launched. Yet Jon Dahl Tomasson and his staff will warn against complacency, acutely aware of the turbulence that often shadows Dutch football’s second tier.
Almere City’s anxieties meanwhile grow heavier. With eleven matches played and only three wins secured, their margin for error narrows. The coming fixtures will test the mettle of their squad and the resolve of their leadership. For both clubs, tonight’s result reverberates beyond the chill of the Limburg air: Roda’s ascent urges onlookers to believe, while Almere’s struggles demand urgent introspection. The path to springtime glory, or ignominy, is paved with nights exactly like this.