The tension that had simmered throughout Amani's thirty-minute cameo against AZ Alkmaar didn't dissipate with the final whistle.
If anything, it crystallized into something more permanent, the birth of a genuine rivalry that transcended the typical competitive dynamics of the Eredivisie.
As the Utrecht players filed through the narrow corridor that connected the AFAS Stadion pitch to the dressing rooms, the confined space amplified the lingering hostility. What began as routine post-match handshakes and jersey exchanges between some players quickly evolved into something more confrontational.
"You should be ashamed," Mark van der Maarel, Utrecht's captain, said to his AZ counterpart, Nick Viergever. His voice remained low but carried unmistakable intensity. "Targeting a fifteen-year-old like that."
Viergever's expression hardened. "We played the player, not the birth certificate. If he's old enough to play, he's old enough to be treated like everyone else."
