ADO Den Haag ended their regular season in emphatic style, dismantling VVV Venlo 7-2 at the Covebo Stadion. The numbers told a clear story of dominance: the visitors recorded 58% possession, fired 18 total shots to Venlo's 10, and put 10 of those on target. The expected goals story is not directly available in the data, but the shot volume and accuracy differential speaks decisively to ADO's control. The Lemeister model had favoured ADO Den Haag with a 50% win probability, and the final margin far exceeded its projection of a 2-1 away victory, indicating an outlier performance from the visitors.
The match was effectively decided in a devastating 12-minute spell late in the first half. Jari Vlak opened the scoring in the 24th minute, converting a Daryl van Mieghem assist. Van Mieghem then turned provider again in the 33rd minute, setting up L. Bonis to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, van Mieghem got on the scoresheet himself, this time assisted by Evan Rottier. At 3-0 inside 36 minutes, Venlo were already facing an enormous uphill task, and ADO showed no signs of easing off. The sequence was built on relentless pressure: ADO had already taken six shots by the 36th minute, with three on target, compared to Venlo's two shots and none on goal.
The onslaught continued immediately after the interval. Evan Rottier scored unassisted in the 48th minute, and Jari Vlak added his second of the match in the 59th minute, again without an assist. Luka Reischl made it 6-0 in the 63rd minute, with Vlak turning provider for the fifth different ADO goalscorer on the night. Venlo finally got on the board in the 69th minute through Dean Zandbergen, assisted by L. Wehmeyer, but ADO quickly restored their six-goal cushion when A. Schalk scored in the 80th minute, assisted by Reischl. A late consolation from J. Kluskens in the 90th minute made the final score 7-2, though Venlo's two goals came when the match was already long decided.
The underlying statistics underlined ADO's comprehensive control. They completed 455 passes at an 83% accuracy rate, compared to Venlo's 329 passes at 80%. The visitors also took more shots from inside the box (11 to eight) and earned seven corners to Venlo's five. ADO's shot selection was particularly efficient: 10 of their 18 shots were on target, a 56% accuracy rate, while Venlo managed only three on target from 10 attempts. Defensively, Venlo's goalkeeper made three saves while ADO's keeper had only one to make, reflecting the gulf in attacking pressure. ADO also won the discipline battle, committing eight fouls to Venlo's 11, and were caught offside only once compared to Venlo's three.
The player ratings reflected the individual contributions behind the rout. Jari Vlak was the standout performer with a 9.6 rating, built on two goals and an assist, and his influence stretched beyond the scoresheet into general play. Daryl van Mieghem and Evan Rottier each earned 8.3, with van Mieghem contributing a goal and two assists and Rottier scoring once. Luka Reischl (8.2), who scored and set up Schalk's goal, and Cameron Peupion (7.9) also impressed for ADO Den Haag, providing width and creativity that stretched the Venlo defence. Dean Zandbergen was the top-rated Venlo player at 7.5, rewarded for his consolation goal but unable to influence the contest.
The result gave ADO Den Haag a powerful finish to the regular season, confirming their attacking threat ahead of the promotion play-offs. Scoring seven away from home, with six different goalscorers, suggests a side peaking at the right moment. For VVV Venlo, the heavy defeat at home was a sobering end to a difficult campaign, leaving them to reflect on a defensive performance that conceded seven goals despite committing 11 fouls against a disciplined ADO side who committed only eight. The data shows that Venlo were simply outclassed in every department, and the final scoreline was a fair reflection of the gulf between the sides on the day.
