During the 1998–99 Dutch football season, Willem II competed in the Eredivisie. Willem II achieved second place in the league, the club's best placement to date.
| 1998–99 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Co Adriaanse |
| Stadium | Willem II Stadion |
| Eredivisie | 2nd |
| KNVB Cup | First round |
| UEFA Cup | Second round |
| Top goalscorer | Mariano Bombarda (17) |
Season summary edit
Managed by Co Adriaanse, Willem II finished in fifth place in the 1997–98 Eredivisie, thereby securing qualification for the 1998–99 UEFA Cup.[1] In the UEFA Cup's first round the club knocked out Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi with two 3–0 wins.[1] Willem II exited the competition in the second round, following a 1–1 draw and a 3–0 defeat against Spanish club Real Betis.[1] In the 1998–99 KNVB Cup Willem II were knocked out in the first round by FC Zwolle with Geoffrey Prommayon scoring an own-goal in a game that finished 2–0.[2]
Willem II achieved second place in the Eredivisie, the club's best placement to date, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history.[3] Argentina forward Mariano Bombarda was one of the most important players during the season, scoring 17 goals.[4] At the winter break, Willem II was in 11th place.[1] Thanks to a very successful run in the second half of the season, with only one defeat on the final day of the season against FC Twente, the club climbed to second place.[1]
Willem II sold 10,000 season tickets for the season and drew a total of 204,780 spectators.[1]
In May 1999, it was chosen as club of the season by the VVCS, the trade union of professional footballers in the Netherlands.[1]
First-team squad edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers edit
Out
Competitions edit
Eredivisie edit
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feyenoord (C) | 34 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 76 | 38 | +38 | 80 | Qualification to Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Willem II | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 69 | 46 | +23 | 65 | |
| 3 | PSV | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 87 | 55 | +32 | 61 | Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Vitesse Arnhem | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 61 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round[a] |
| 5 | Roda JC | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 60 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off if relevant for deciding champion, relegation or participating in a European league, otherwise by draw. 8) Penalty shoot-out (only after a play-off)
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ^ Ajax qualified for the UEFA Cup by winning the 1998–99 KNVB Cup.
KNVB Cup edit
Results edit
| 28 October 1998 R1 | Willem II | 0–2 | FC Zwolle | Tilburg, Netherlands |
| Report |  55' Tuhuteru 83' (o.g.) Prommayon |
Stadium: Gemeentelijk Sportpark Tilburg |
UEFA Cup edit
Results edit
| 15 September 1998 R1 First leg | Willem II  | 3–0 |  Dinamo Tbilisi | Koning Willem II Stadion, Tilburg |
| 18:30 (CET) | Ramzi 74' Arts 80'Schenning 86' |
Report | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Mikko Vuorela (Finland) |
| 29 September 1998 R1 Second leg | Dinamo Tbilisi | 0–3 (0–6 agg.) | Willem II | Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi |
| 16:30 (CET) | Report | Valk 19' Ceesay 81'Ramzi 89' |
Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Lubomír Puček (Czech Republic) |
| 20 October 1998 R2 First leg | Willem II | 1–1 |  Real Betis | Koning Willem II Stadion, Tilburg |
| 20:00 (CET) | Bombarda 86' |
Report | Trujillo 85' |
Attendance: 12,000 Referee: William Young (Scotland) |
| 3 November 1998 R2 Second leg | Real Betis | 3–0 (4–1 agg.) | Willem II | Estadio Benito Villamarín, Seville |
| 21:30 (CET) | George 29' Benjamín 56'Fernando 89' |
Report | Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Jacek Granat (Poland) |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g "1997-1999: Weer Europa in". Willem II (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Willem II 0-2 PEC Zwolle". besoccer.com. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ van Dijk, Bob (18 May 2022). "Dit waren de beste seizoenen van Willem II in de Eredivisie". Elf Voetbal (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ Verstraten, Ruud (23 June 2017). "Tilburg voelt als thuis voor nomade Bombarda". Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Bert Konterman verruilt Willem II voor Feyenoord" [Bert Konterman exchanges Willem II for Feyenoord]. Trouw (in Dutch). 12 May 1998. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ Damström, Annika (16 February 1998). "Joonas Kolkan uudeksi seuraksi PSV Eindhoven" [The new company of Joonas Kolka is PSV Eindhoven]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 19 May 2022.