Younes Taha’s screamer pushes Groningen to dominant Eredivise victory

Morocco U-23 international Younes Taha was in excellent form on Friday, producing a goal and an assist in a 4-0 Eredivisie victory for Groningen over Hercules.

The Amsterdam native is thriving on loan from Twente and his excellent long range strike marked his first goal since arriving. Taha collected a pass from Marco Rente and unleashed from thirty yards to double the advantage for hosts Groningen in an eventual lopsided victory.

Before halftime, Taha added an assist to set up Brynjolfur Willumsson’s second goal of the match in the 40th minute. After a 13th place finish last season, Groningen have shown signs of promise in the early stages of the 2025-26 season with two wins and two defeats against top Dutch sides AZ Alkmaar and reigning champions PSV.

Taha scored in the group stage of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations as Morocco dominated the competition they hosted and qualified for the Olympic Games.

The now 22-year-old did not play in the final tournament in France but continues to establish himself as a promising midfielder after his first season as a profesisonal saw him named to the Dutch second tier Eerste Divisie’s Team of the Year following the 2022-23 season.

Taha and Groningen next play at Utrecht on September 14 following the international break.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.