Dutch conquest for Villarreal

Foppe de Haan's SC Heerenveen face an uphill task in the second leg of their UEFA Intertoto Cup final against Villarreal CF after losing the home leg 2-1.

Fast move
Javier Calleja put the Spanish side in front after 13 minutes in the Netherlands finishing a fast attacking move with a low shot past goalkeeper Hans Vonk after Petter Hansson had lost the ball for Heerenveen. However, the Dutch side had a bit of luck 12 minutes later when Villarreal defender Sergio Ballesteros diverted a cross from Mika Väyrynen over his own goalkeeper, José Manuel Reina, to make 1-1.

Exquisite lob
Heerenveen's luck deserted them with a minute to go in the first half, however, as José Mari's pass allowed Víctor to lob Vonk beautifully for what proved to be the winning goal of the game. Despite plenty of effort from the home side, Villarreal managed to hold their hosts at bay in the second period and now have an excellent chance of securing a place in the first round of the UEFA Cup after the return in Spain in two weeks' time.

'A hard time'
"They played organised and stayed close together, which really gave us a hard time getting through them," said De Haan after the game. "It was not as if we did not have a chance - Villarreal really had to to fight hard for their win. But I also had the idea that maybe my players did not really believe they could triumph.".

Down to earth
Heerenveen defender Tieme Klompe thought that the defeat might have a positive effect on the team as the Dutch season starts this weekend. "We have been brought back down to earth, and that is good for us," he said.