Utrecht climb to seventh as Zechiël and Stepanov strike in first half | OneFootball

Utrecht beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-0 at Stadion Galgenwaard to rise from ninth to seventh in the Eredivisie.

In the 16th minute, Gjivai Zechiël glanced a header into the bottom right from Ángel Alarcón's cross. Artem Stepanov added a clinical second from the left of the six-yard box (37.), released by Yoann Cathline.

Vasilis Barkas preserved the advantage with six saves, thwarting Jakob Breum and Melle Meulensteen before the interval. The hosts stayed compact and limited clear chances after the break.

After the restart, Mike Van der Hoorn went off injured and Nick Viergever replaced him (53.), yet Alarcón and Souffian El Karouani continued to carry a threat on transitions.

El Karouani then struck the bar from a direct free kick (77.). Moments later, Victor Edvardsen had a finish overturned after a VAR review for offside (85.).

Utrecht registered 22 attempts with 10 on target. The Supereagles produced 11 attempts and forced Barkas into sharp stops across both halves.

The result lifts Utrecht to seventh. The Supereagles remain 13th. Next, Utrecht visit PSV. The Supereagles host PEC Zwolle.