2015 KNVB Cup final
Association football match between PEC Zwolle and FC Groningen / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2015 KNVB Cup final was an association football match between PEC Zwolle and FC Groningen on 3 May 2015 at De Kuip, Rotterdam. It was the final match of the 2014–15 KNVB Cup and the 97th final of the Dutch cup competition, the KNVB Cup.
Event | 2014–15 KNVB Cup | ||||||
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Date | 3 May 2015 | ||||||
Venue | De Kuip, Rotterdam | ||||||
Referee | Richard Liesveld [nl] | ||||||
Attendance | 50,000 | ||||||
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Zwolle were appearing in their fourth KNVB Cup final and were the defending champions, having won the trophy for the first time the previous year by defeating Ajax 5–1. Groningen reached the cup final once before when they lost to PSV in 1989. PEC and Groningen entered the competition in the second round and progressed through five rounds to reach the final. Zwolle won after extra time in the quarter-final and were victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final. After defeating amateur clubs in the second and third rounds, Groningen eliminated three professional sides from the competition by a three-goal difference or more. En route to the final, Groningen scored the most goals of all teams during the cup season, netting 22 goals.
PEC were considered the slight favourites by the bookmakers; the predictions of experts were mixed. Watched by a crowd of 50,000, the first half was goalless as both sides struggled to create goalscoring chances. In the 64th minute, Albert Rusnák put Groningen 1–0 in front after his shot was deflected off Zwolle's Joost Broerse into the net. Around ten minutes later, Rusnák netted his second to double Groningen's lead. The assist for the goal came from Jarchinio Antonia, who was subbed on during the second half. Groningen held on to their 2–0 lead to claim the cup, the club's first major honour. Maikel Kieftenbeld, the Groningen captain, praised the collective effort from the team. By winning the cup, Groningen qualified for the 2015 Johan Cruyff Shield and the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage.