Last week Van la Parra was the matchwinner in the derby against Lierse. His goal secured victory for Beerschot, but for the Dutchman it was also a very emotional moment. Just a few days earlier, he had lost his uncle.
“It was a tough week,” Rajiv admits openly. “On Wednesday my uncle passed away, a hard blow for the whole family. But as a footballer you have to keep performing. On Thursday I found some distraction in the Fanstore, where I met the fans together with Marco Weymans. Their enthusiasm gave me the energy I needed. That’s why I dedicated my goal against Lierse to my uncle.”
Tomorrow a long trip to Virton awaits, right on the French border. The furthest possible away match Beerschot could draw. How does the 34-year-old Dutchman feel about that? “We’ll leave for Virton in the morning already to make sure we don’t get stuck in traffic. After the match we’ll stay overnight in a hotel and on Saturday we have a team-building activity planned. That way we try to get the most out of this trip and lose as little time as possible. For the supporters, of course, it’s quite tough. They have to cross the whole country on a working day and then travel all the way back. They’ll spend more than six hours on the bus — respect to the fans who will make that journey.”
Virton are currently playing in the Belgian First Amateur Division, so Beerschot are the favourites. Still, Rajiv has been warned by the coaching staff. “The coaches told us that away games in Virton are never easy. They have passionate supporters and for them this is a real top match. For us it’s also very important, because we want to push through to the next round, where we hopefully get a nice opponent from the Jupiler Pro League. But first we have to make sure we qualify tomorrow,” Van la Parra concludes.
Kick-off: Tomorrow at 20:30 in Virton.
