Wout Weghorst played a key role in FC Twente's 2-2 draw with Ajax on Sunday afternoon. The striker earned the Tukkers a point from the penalty spot in stoppage time and told ESPN afterwards how he dealt with the frantic closing stages. He also discussed a special moment with Ajax striker Tolu Arokodare after the final whistle.
In the 93rd minute, Weghorst stepped up to take the penalty after Lucas Rosa fouled Ramiz Zerrouki. "It's not that easy. You mainly try to get your heart rate down and calm yourself," said the forward, admitting he barely managed it. "Normally, after breathing out twice, I know what I'm going to do, but not this time."
Ajax goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen tried to disrupt Weghorst's concentration before the spot-kick. "I saw him moving around a lot beforehand, which made me feel I wanted to react to him a bit more," Weghorst explained. He kept the rest of his approach to himself. "Of course, I can't give too much away about how I decide what to do, because that wouldn't be wise for next time."
Although Twente only drew level deep into stoppage time, Weghorst felt they deserved more. "I felt we took control fairly soon after the 0-1 and kept it for virtually the whole match," he said. "We were very dominant, played well on the ball and created lots of chances and openings through our build-up play and pressing."
When referee Joey Kooij stopped play for a possible handball by Weghorst, FC Twente looked to be threatening. "It definitely hit my hand, but I was also definitely knocked off balance and given a push," the striker explained. The timing of the whistle bothered him most. "I think there's a bit of a lack of feel for the game there. I thought: let the move continue first."
At the post-match press conference, Weghorst revealed Kooij had personally apologised for blowing the whistle at that moment. "He said to me after the match: 'Sorry, sorry, but someone was shouting in my ear: stop, stop, stop play,'" the forward said. Weghorst said the referee was frustrated too: "I think he was fairly angry about it himself, but it's clear it wasn't a good decision."
Ajax striker Tolu Arokodare shared another special moment with Weghorst after the final whistle. The pair met when Weghorst played for Burnley and Tolu was at KRC Genk, then stayed in touch. "It's not as if we've been in contact every week, of course, but we have stayed in touch, particularly a bit more in recent weeks, including conversations about the Lord and how you experience and do things," said Weghorst.
Explaining why they sought each other out after the match, Weghorst said: "We both felt: out of gratitude, let's take a moment together and pray." He added: "It's something we do all the time, every day; it's part of our lives." The striker concluded: "This time, we felt it would be nice to do it here and bring what had been a special match to a close together."