Dusan Tadic earns plaudits after leading NEC past Olympiakos

Dusan Tadic has been widely identified as NEC Nijmegen’s standout performer after Dick Schreuder’s side eliminated Olympiakos to reach the Champions League play-off round on Tuesday evening. FCUpdate’s review of the Dutch morning newspapers found broad agreement over the Serbian’s influence.

NEC endured a difficult first half and then fell behind shortly after the interval, but Tadic helped drive their recovery. According to Algemeen Dagblad, the 37-year-old supplied two excellent crosses for Bryan Linssen. The striker was denied by the goalkeeper from the first before converting the second to bring NEC level.

De Volkskrant also focused on Tadic’s leadership, noting how frequently he directed and encouraged his team-mates. The newspaper said he was involved in NEC’s early attacking threat before setting up Linssen’s equaliser, which restored belief among the Nijmegen side.

Tadic’s intensity was also apparent during Emre Mor’s delayed introduction. De Telegraaf reported that the Serbian showed his irritation while Mor waited on the touchline because he had not removed an earring. The paper additionally underlined the difficult circumstances facing Schreuder, who had very few fit defenders available for a tie carrying major sporting and financial significance. Nevertheless, NEC recovered from falling behind and completed their passage into the final qualifying round.