In the Gelderland derby NEC Nijmegen dented Vitesse’s title hopes as the bottom side held the Arnhem side to a 1-1 draw.
- By Michael Bell
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After a limp opening half hour, Vitesse took the lead with Christian Atsu’s corner finding Dan Mori in the box, and the defender made no mistake with his header.
NEC should have equalised straight away, but Kelvin Leerdam was in the right place to clear Samuel Stefanik’s goal bound effort off the line.
In the second half, Vitesse struggled to kill the game off, and Hemlein came close to the equaliser before the hour mark, but his effort hit the woodwork.
Then with 20 minutes left, a Soren Rieks cross wasn’t dealt with and Michael Higdon blasted into the net at the back post to draw NEC level at 1-1.
Higdon nearly netted the winner, but the striker could only head over from close range, while at the other end, Kelvin Leerdam forced Johansson into a brilliant save.
The draw dents Vitesse’s title hopes, and they could fall two points behind Ajax at the top if the Amsterdam side beat Go Ahead Eagles. A point is not enough to lift NEC off the bottom, but they are now level on points with RKC.
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