When the Roda match ended, the Groningen match was still in progress. Virtually, the players and fans of Roda JC thought they would automatically finish in second place and therefore validate their ticket for promotion to the Eredivisie.
The Roda speaker also announced their rise for the first time. As soon as the final whistle blew, Roda supporters took to the pitch and celebrated the promotion to D1 as if it had already been achieved.
Except that in the other match, Groningen equalized in the 95th minute of play.
Moments later, Roda's supporters began to applaud in numbers. The stadium announcer announced that Telstar, Groningen's opponent, had scored 2-1, synonymous with their rise to D1. The players and supporters, still on the pitch, hugged each other and celebrated their promotion.
Except that a few moments later, this same speaker admitted to having made a mistake. The score remained 1 everywhere between Telstar and Groningen.
“At one point, everyone around me started clapping. I asked what was happening and they told me it was 2-1,” the announcer explained to the press. “I should have checked it better, but the internet connection is really bad here. Maybe I'm the bitten dog, but I can't change anything anymore. Sometimes you have to go through crazy situations. I've been doing this for decades and I'm only human,” he admitted.
Roda will have to validate his rise to the Eredivisie next week. But the yellow and black will have a lot to do as they move onto the pitch… in Groningen. For his part, Willem II, coached by Peter Maes, validated his rise to D1 but could still finish 2nd.
