Dorm Neighbors Win €11K Betting on Friend's Sensational Goal Against Ajax!
This is the story of a miracle next to the sensation in the Dutch Cup.
Ajax was eliminated by an amateur club, losing to Hercules from the 4th league – but here's what's important. Immediately, 12 dormitory neighbors of Hercules player Tim Peters bet 15 euros each that he would score, and Hercules would beat Ajax in the 1/16 finals. And they won a total of 11 thousand euros!
The odds for the amateur club to advance before the match were 70.00. And the odds on Hercules and the goal from 22-year-old Peters were already a fantastic 751.00.
12 friends of Peters took the risk – and it paid off!
Peters has spent his entire life in his hometown of Utrecht. Hercules is currently at its peak
Tim scored a brace in the early first half and in the middle of the second, putting Hercules ahead 2-0. Ajax equalized in the final moments, but in the 90+3 minute, the amateurs snatched the victory – 3-2. A celebration for the team and the guys who bet on their friend!
Peters is from the Utrecht youth system, playing in various attacking positions or in the center. At 19, he was considered a promising talent, valued at 350 thousand euros on the Transfermarkt, but his career didn't take off. In his youth, he moved between the youth teams of Utrecht and Hercules (also a Utrecht-based club), and in the summer of 2021, he joined the senior squad in the fourth league.
In the 2016/17 season, Hercules played in the playoffs for promotion – it didn't work out. After leading in the middle of the tournament in 2020/21, the lower league competition in the Netherlands was interrupted for the second time in October 2020 (clearly underestimating pandemic problems).
In June 2022, Hercules played in the playoffs again but stumbled in the first of three rounds – the Cossack Boys rose to the top then. In June of this year, the team reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs but stopped in the semifinals. Progress in recent years is evident.
But the main achievement was, of course, in the Dutch Cup. To reach Ajax, they overcame two preliminary stages (with Tim Peters already scoring in the second) and the first round – eliminating Scheveningen from the second league on penalties.
Next up was a mid-table second-league team, Cambuur, playing at home again. Of course, Hercules was the underdog, but what could be more frightening after Ajax?
Ajax had to apologize: they refunded the ticket money. Thus, they closed a terrible year
Ajax fans also awaited a surprise: the team would refund money for tickets to the supporters. Amateurs eliminated The superclub from the Dutch Cup for the first time in history. There were a total of 30 such encounters. In this match, Ajax was supported by 325 people. The club promised to compensate them for tickets and travel.
"Due to the poor performance of our team, you undoubtedly painfully experienced the Hercules – Ajax match. We share this pain and feel deep shame. After consultations with the player group and technical staff, it was decided that all fans who purchased tickets for the match would receive compensation. This compensation will not erase the memories of that painful evening, but nothing could be done. Thank you for your unconditional support," said Ajax's statement.
Amsterdammers lost for the 14th time in 2023. Since the advent of professional football in the Netherlands in 1954, the team has only had more losses in a calendar year once – in 1964. New matches are already scheduled for January.
Published by Patrick Jane
24.12.2023