AH&BC Amsterdam and HC Rotterdam both qualified for next season’s EHL Men by virtue of their Dutch semi-final victories over the weekend.
For Amsterdam, a breathtaking second half of their second leg saw them overcome regular season winners Oranje-Rood 4-1, winning the tie after the first leg ended 2-2 on Thursday.
The battle was still delicately poised with 21 minutes remaining but a powerful Dayaan Cassiem strike gave Amsterdam a lead which was quickly followed by a Boris Burkhardt tip and then a Mustapha Cassiem goal from his older brother’s assist.
Mustapha Cassiem slotted a further effort into an empty goal for 4-0 with time running out before Jelle Galema got a consolation effort.
Rotterdam took a 2-1 away win into their second leg and they eventually won a rollercoaster 4-3 for a 6-4 aggregate win.
In a lively first half, Tjep Hoedemakers twice put Rotterdam in front before Miles Bukkens and Indra Aerts levelled from corner variations.
The crucial moment came with eight minutes to go when Pepijn van der Heijden fired a low corner down the middle for a two-goal gap; Florent van Aubel pulled one back but van der Heijden confirmed the win with another corner strike in the dying seconds.
Amsterdam will host the first leg of the final next Saturday at 4pm CET with the return leg on Sunday in Rotterdam.