Heracles Almelo – PEC Zwolle: 8-2
Heracles Almelo booked a shocking win over PEC Zwolle, who were beaten 8-2 in a frantic first game since Bas Sibum’s firing. To read all about Heracles’ massive win, read our full match report here.
FC Groningen – FC Twente: 1-1
Up-and-coming FC Groningen and FC Twente played a massively entertaining game in the Euroborg, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Early chances could’ve seen either team take the lead within 20 minutes, but it wasn’t to be for players like David van der Werff, Thomas van der Belt, Thom van Bergen and Marvin Peersman.
It wasn’t until the 49th minute that the game saw its first goal, when Kristian Hlynsson was able to tap it into an empty net to give Twente the lead.
The visitors only held on for five minutes, however, when Robin Propper took down Thom van Bergen in the box and gave the hosts a penalty. Captain Stije Resink stepped up and made no mistake, beating Lars Unnerstall in the 53rd minute.
FC Twente came closest in the latter stages of the game through Robin Propper and Marko Pjaca, the latter of whom hit the crossbar with a great effort from distance. To no avail, however, as Groningen and Twente shared the points following an entertaining affair.
Sparta Rotterdam – AZ: 0-1
AZ put an end to Sparta’s unbeaten streak as the Alkmaar outfit left Rotterdam with a 1-0 win.
The visitors were given a golden opportunity to open the scoring within 30 minutes when Teo Quintero took down Weslley Patati in the box. Irishman Troy Parrott stepped up, but saw Joel Drommel make an excellent save.
Drommel was a significant hurdle for AZ, especially in the first half, with a staggering nine saves before half-time. The in-form stopper could nevertheless not keep AZ talent Kees Smit from deciding the game in the 65th minute, when the Dutch Under-21 international fired one in diagonally from outside the box.
AZ ended Sparta’s unbeaten streak of four league games, despite Joel Drommel’s 14 saves, as they are now on a five-game win streak across all competitions.
FC Utrecht – NEC: 1-0
FC Utrecht bounced back nicely from last week’s heavy 4-1 loss in Alkmaar, beating NEC 1-0 to make it two wins from three league games.
After an early chance for Adrian Blake and missed chances from Koki Ogawa and Bryan Linssen, Spaniard Miguel Rodriguez scored the sole goal of the afternoon after a lovely team move was finished calmly by the winger.
Nick Viergever almost doubled Utrecht’s lead in the second half from a corner, but it were the visitors who got the biggest shot at scoring after the break. Matisse Didden gave away a penalty, putting the usually reliable Tjaronn Chery behind the ball. The Surinamese international hit the crossbar, however, costing his team a potential point in the last 15 minutes.
