NEC Nijmegen had a great season opener on Saturday as they beat Excelsior 5-0 at the Goffertstadion. Basar Önal started with two assists and quickly raised expectations for his season ahead. Sander Janssen looked back on the game with the left-back for VI Pro.
Veteran Bryan Linssen, who also scored a goal and provided an assist, proved to be quite adept at mental maths after the game. The forward was joking around with Önal when he was self-critical in the locker room.
The 21-year-old explained to Voetbal International, “Bryan was sitting next to me, and he just said, ‘What are you doing? You’ve provided two assists. If you keep this up, you’ll end the season with 68.’ He’s right, of course, but hey. I always aim for even better.”
Linssen’s calculation was, of course, tongue in cheek, but Önal is well on his way to match the reigning Eredivisie assist king Oliver Antman, who recorded 15 last season. Önal prefers not to talk about numbers yet, but hopes his second season in Nijmegen will be more successful than his first.
“My goal? More goals, more assists, but above all, to be confident on the pitch every week. If I can do that, then things will turn out well. Last season, I didn’t have enough of that. I wasn’t used to that.”
