2015 KNVB Cup final

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.

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.

PEC Zwolle
Zwolle began, as a professional side and defending KNVB Cup champions, their campaign for the 2014–15 KNVB Cup in September 2014 in the second round. They were drawn against FC Oss of the Eerste Divisie, meeting in Zwolle. PEC narrowly defeated the visitors by three goals to two with goals from Jesper Drost (2) and Tomáš Necid. In the third round Zwolle met local amateur club HHC Hardenberg at home. HHC headed against the crossbar before Zwolle midfielder Thomas Lam put the home side 1–0 in front. Lam added a second and third goal in the first half to complete a hat-trick. HHC found the back of the Zwolle net before Thanasis Karagounis put PEC 4–1 up before half-time. In the second half Bart van Hintum added a fifth goal for Zwolle, scoring from a free-kick, before Ben Rienstra put the ball in the top corner of the HHC goal, with Zwolle winning 6–1. VVV-Venlo were PEC's opponents in the fourth round, meeting in Venlo. Necid put Zwolle 1–0 ahead early in the first half after converting a cross from Van Hintum. In the last minutes of the match, VVV equalised, but the goal was disallowed after Warner Hahn, PEC's goalkeeper, was fouled. Zwolle held on and progressed to the quarter-final. None of the "Big Three" teams—Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV—reached the quarter-final; it was the sixth time it happened since 1956 and the first time since 2008–09.

PEC were drawn away against Eredivisie club Cambuur in the quarter-final. Lam scored the opening goal with a header, marking his fourth goal of the cup season. Hahn made a string of saves during the first half to preserve Zwolle's lead. Early in the second half Ryan Thomas doubled PEC's lead from outside the box before former Zwolle player Furdjel Narsingh scored twice in five minutes for Cambuur to bring the score level. The match went to extra time, where Jody Lukoki netted a third for the visitors. PEC held on and proceeded to the semi-final of the KNVB Cup for the third consecutive year. The win marked coach Ron Jans's tenth win in ten cup matches whilst at PEC. PEC were paired with Twente in the semi-final, with the match held at Twente's De Grolsch Veste. It was the seventh time both sides met in the cup, with Twente winning all previous meetings, including the 1977 final. Twente were also unbeaten against PEC Zwolle at home. Former Twente player Wout Brama put PEC 1–0 ahead in the 82nd minute before Twente equalised five minutes later. The game went to extra time, where neither side found the back of the net. Zwolle won the penalty shoot-out 4–2 with Czech forward Necid scoring the winner with a Panenka penalty kick.

FC Groningen
Groningen entered the 2014–15 KNVB Cup, as a professional club, in the second round where they faced amateur club Barendrecht. Played in Barendrecht, Groningen won 4–1 with goals from Danny Hoesen, Michael de Leeuw, Nick van der Velden and Jarchinio Antonia. Groningen were again drawn against an amateur club in the following round, meeting Flevo Boys away. Groningen proceeded to the fourth round with a convincing 8–1 victory, with Hoesen, Yoëll van Nieff, De Leeuw (4), Dino Islamović and Johan Kappelhof finding the net. De Leeuw scored a hat-trick in five minutes, and Groningen recorded their tied-biggest away win in the club's history. In the fourth round they were drawn against Eerste Divisie side Volendam at Euroborg, Groningen's home ground. Mimoun Mahi put Groningen 1–0 ahead shortly before half-time, Van der Velden converted a penalty kick halfway through the second half and De Leeuw scored Groningen's third shortly before full-time. The club proceeded to the quarter-final with a 3–0 victory.

Groningen faced Eredivisie side Vitesse at home in the quarter-final. The visitors dominated during the first hour, but it remained goalless. Around the 60th minute, De Leeuw's header was saved by Vitesse defender Guram Kashia on the goalline, using his hand. Kashia was sent off, and Groningen were awarded a penalty kick. De Leeuw's shot was saved but Tjaronn Chery found the back of the Vitesse net in the rebound. De Leeuw doubled the score five minutes later before Van Nieff added a third for Groningen; he passed two Vitesse defenders and put the ball in the top corner. Maikel Kieftenbeld scored the fourth goal with a volley. Groningen defeated Vitesse 4–0 and progressed to the semi-final for the first time since 1988–89. The semi-final, played at Euroborg, was against Eredivisie club Excelsior, who made their first appearance in a KNVB Cup semi-final since 1977–78. Playing before a sold-out crowd, Groningen were without key players De Leeuw, who was ill, and Eric Botteghin, who was suspended. Excelsior were the better side during the opening stages of the game, but it remained goalless. Hans Hateboer, Groningen's right-back and Botteghin's replacement, put the home side 1–0 ahead after 40 minutes. Albert Rusnák added a second goal early in the second half before Chery scored a third for Groningen in the 88th minute. Botteghin, who watched the game with the Groningen ultras, ran on the pitch after the final whistle to celebrate with Groningen coach Erwin van de Looi.

Pre-match
PEC Zwolle were appearing in the KNVB Cup final for the second consecutive year and for the fourth time in history. They lost the 1928 final against RCH and were runners-up in the 1977 final against Twente. PEC won the cup for the first time in 2014, defeating Ajax 5–1. Jans, the Zwolle coach, showed his squad video messages of their family members before the match; Jans was hailed as a "motivator" by the Dagblad van het Noorden. It was the club's first major trophy. Groningen, founded in 1971, reached the final once before when they lost 4–1 to PSV in 1989. Groningen were already 1–0 down after two minutes when Romário scored, the fastest goal in KNVB Cup final history. PEC and Groningen, both described by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting as "provincial clubs", played each other once in the Eredivisie during the season; Zwolle won 2–0 at home. Both sides were in the top half of the league table, with PEC one place and four points ahead of Groningen after 32 matches. The final marked the third meeting between both in the cup; in 1981, Zwolle won 3–2 at home with Jans playing for PEC, and in 2001, Groningen recorded a 3–0 victory with goals from Martin Drent, Joost Broerse and Arjen Robben.

Several figures had ties to both clubs. Broerse started his career at Groningen but played since 2012 for PEC. Another Zwolle player who started his career at Groningen was Stef Nijland. His father, Hans, had been Groningen's chief executive officer since the 1990s. Jans played for Groningen and later coached the club from 2002 to 2010. Jans stated after the draw for the semi-finals that he hoped to meet Groningen in the final. Botteghin, the Groningen defender, played for Zwolle from 2007 until 2011. Several days before the final the coaches and captains of both teams attended the mandatory press conference in Zeist. Jans and Van de Looi also posed with the cup but Van de Looi did not want to touch the trophy.

PEC were considered the slight favourites: bookmaker William Hill offered odds of 7/5 on a Zwolle win and 17/10 on a Groningen victory. Zwolle were also considered the slight favourites at Ladbrokes, bwin and Unibet. The experts' predictions were mixed. FOX Sports analyst Arnold Bruggink considered PEC the favourites due to having a stronger squad and already having played the cup final the previous year. Hugo Borst, presentator at the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting, predicted a Groningen victory as they were "hungrier" for success. Former football player Marco van der Heide, writing in the Friesch Dagblad, considered Necid and Drost key players for Zwolle, while Chery and Botteghin were deemed the most important players for Groningen. Drost scored eight goals and registered seven assists during the Eredivisie season; Chery had fourteen goals and five assists. Van der Heide described PEC's style as "clean positional play" and stated that Van de Looi mainly formed his plans based on the quality of his players. Groningen scored the most goals of all teams during the cup season, netting 22 goals. De Leeuw scored seven and was one goal behind Arkadiusz Milik of Ajax, the season's top goal scorer in the cup.

The final, the 97th in the competition's history, was held at De Kuip in Rotterdam, venue of the KNVB Cup final since 1989. Both clubs took 18,000 fans to De Kuip, transported by around 500 buses in total. As PEC were regarded as the home team they wore their home kit and were awarded the home dressing room. PEC's Maikel van der Werff was suspended for the final, while Karagounis was still injured. Groningen's only absentee was Nick Bakker, who missed the match due to injury. Just before heading for Rotterdam, Van de Looi surprised his squad with a lunch with their family members. Van de Looi concluded it strengthened the "feeling of invincibility" within the team.

Summary
PEC Zwolle kicked off the match at 6 pm CEST, refereed by Richard Liesveld. Within the first minute, a dangerous shot by De Leeuw was blocked by Broerse. PEC goalkeeper Hahn almost put the ball from the resulting corner kick in his own goal. In the 8th minute, Lukoki hit a powerful shot from the edge of the box but Groningen defender Rasmus Lindgren blocked the effort. Two minutes later Lukoki crossed the ball but Necid's header was blocked by Botteghin. In the 13th minute, Lindgren fouled Necid. The resulting free kick was headed away by Mahi. The game ebbed back and forth within the first 15 minutes; shortly afterwards, both sides became cautious of potential counter-attacks, resulting in both teams creating fewer goalscoring chances. RTV Noord reported Groningen were playing more nervously than PEC; several minutes later Groningen grew into the game. Around the 30th minute Chery dribbled through the Zwolle defence but could not find a shot. Seven minutes later Lukoki dribbled through the defence of Groningen, although he put his shot just wide of the post. The first half remained goalless. During half-time Van de Looi replaced Lorenzo Burnet, who struggled against Lukoki, with Hateboer. Kappelhof moved to left-back with Hateboer taking the right-back position.

In the 50th minute, Mahi headed the ball to De Leeuw, who saw his shot saved by the legs of Hahn. Five minutes later Drost went down in Groningen's penalty area, but the referee waved away any penalty claims. In PEC's following attack Thomas hit a powerful shot but it was saved by Sergio Padt. In the 62nd minute, Mahi was subbed off and replaced by Antonia. Two minutes later Antonia's cross was deflected off a Zwolle defender; the ball fell to Rusnák, whose shot from the edge of the box was deflected off Broerse's leg into Zwolle's goal, putting Groningen 1–0 in front. Jans already wanted to sub off Broerse before Rusnák scored; he was replaced by Trent Sainsbury. Shortly afterwards Antonia put in another dangerous cross, but Sainsbury cleared the ball. In the 75th minute, Rusnák scored his second to put Groningen 2–0 ahead. Antonia crossed the ball to the Slovak player, who stormed in and put the ball in the far corner of the Zwolle goal. Several minutes later Padt saved a well-placed shot from the edge of the box from Nijland. In stoppage time Antonia reached Juninho Bacuna, but he misjudged the ball. Nijland scored a minute later for Zwolle but his goal was disallowed. Groningen held on to their 2–0 lead to win the cup. PEC received white bathrobes as runners-up and Groningen red ones as the victors. Groningen captain Kieftenbeld received the KNVB Cup trophy from former Groningen player Erwin Koeman.

Post match and aftermath
The 2014–15 KNVB Cup was Groningen's first major honour. They became the third Groningen-based team to win a major honour, after Be Quick won the 1919–20 Dutch League Championship and Velocitas 1897 claimed the 1933–34 KNVB Cup. By winning the cup, Groningen qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage and the 2015 Johan Cruyff Shield. It was Groningen's sixth consecutive victory in the cup, equalling the club record from 2001.

Kieftenbeld was delighted: "A fantastic moment, really great. I have now touched the cup for the first time". He also praised the collective effort from the team. Van de Looi added: "It is so beautiful for the fans: the first major honour in the club's history". According to the Groningen coach they kept confidence: "During half-time we said: we are not playing well, but we will win the cup". Van de Looi was also delighted with the substitutions he made such as bringing on the pacey Antonia. Zwolle coach Jans was disappointed: "Both teams were evenly matched, but we gave away too much space in the second half. After the 1–0 it was Groningen's game". Jans named Groningen the deserved winners. The following day the front page of the Dagblad van het Noorden was titled "We hebben hem!" (English: "We got him!") in large white letters and included an image of Kieftenbeld lifting the cup. For the only time the title of the newspaper was coloured in green, the colours of FC Groningen, instead of the newspaper's usual blue.

The final, broadcast on FOX Sports, was watched on television by almost 1.9 million people, making it the most viewed programme of the Sunday evening in the Netherlands. At least 10,000 Groningen fans watched the game on the Grote Markt in the centre of the city. Three days after the final Groningen were celebrated in Stadspark by around 30,000 fans, preceded by an open-bus parade which took the team from Euroborg through the city centre to Stadspark. A week after the final Groningen and PEC met again in a league match at Euroborg: Zwolle won 1–0 with a goal from Necid halfway through the second half.

Matchwinner Rusnák later tattooed the date of the cup final in Roman numerals on his leg. In 2022, a concrete mural of 40 x of Kieftenbeld lifting the KNVB Cup was created under a viaduct near Euroborg.