Amateur side Spakenburg put Utrecht out of the Dutch football cup

FC Spakenburg caused a sensation in the Dutch cup by knocking out Eredivisie side Utrecht 4-1 to become only the third amateur team to reach the semi-finals in the professional era.

Spakenburg, based in the Utrecht provincial town of Bunschoten, followed in the footsteps of VVSB (2016) and IJsselmeervogels (1975). The club plays in the second division.

Wimilio Vink opened the scoring when he volleyed in a cross in the 12th minute, before Luuk Admiraal added a second after 59 minutes.

Utrecht briefly threatened a comeback through top scorer Anastasios Douvikas five minutes later, but Spakenburg restored their two-goal advantage almost immediately when Masies Artien headed in from a corner, before Floris van der Linden sent the travelling fans into raptures with a fourth goal after 75 minutes.

Spakenburg’s semi-final opponents will come from the three other quarter finals: Heerenveen-Feyenoord (Wednesday), PSV-ADO Den Haag and De Graafschap-Ajax (Thursday). The draw takes place on Saturday.

‘I started out here as a five-year-old kid and now we are in the cup semi-finals, it is fantastic,’ trainer Chris de Graaf said after the match. ‘Look at all these people. It is fantastic. We did it, and in the Galgenwaard [Utrecht’s stadium].’