Missed any of the Eredivisie matches this weekend? Leo Walker talks you through all of the action:
- Follow Leo on Twitter
Following the abandonment of ADO Den Haag’s home fixture against sc Heerenveen due to concerns with the safety of the pitch, just the eight games took place in round nine.
FC Twente remain aloft at the top of the Eredivisie table following their 1-0 victory over SC Cambuur on Friday evening as they opened the weekends action. The two sides are noted for their strong defences, and this became even more evident in the game on Friday. At the break the two sides went in goalless, however within four minutes of the restart Luc Castaignos had put the visitors 1-0 up with a cute finish. The score remained static until the final whistle to ensure that FC Twente would remain at the summit of the table as we head into the International break.
PSV went level on points with FC Twente as they concluded the weekend’s action; however they were certainly made to work hard to earn the three points. They faced RKC Waalwijk at the Philips Stadion, and despite a slow start they eventually got the game up and running when taking the lead on the 22nd minute mark through Ola Toivonen. When controlling the game, PSV were left stunned as RKC Waalwijk scored with the last kick of the first half when Robert Braber coolly finished into PSVs net, which is first time they have conceded at home this season. PSV were getting more and more frustrated as they were unable to break down the resilient defence of RKC Waalwijk and the superb goalkeeping performance from Jan Seda. However with minutes to spare substitute, Jorgen Locadia scored following an error by the keeper, and they inflicted a harsh 2-1 defeat on the visitors.
Remaining on the heels of the league leaders are the two remaining Dutch giants. Ajax took on their bogey side when opening Sundays Eredivisie action and entertaining FC Utrecht at the Amsterdam Arena. In the previous six Eredivisie ties between the two, Ajax had not recorded one victory, after suffering four defeats and two draws. However they put their hoodoo behind them when Thulani Serero scored right on half time to set them on their way. A further two goals were added in the second half to put the game to bed and ensure that last year’s Champions remain in contention. Feyenoord were yet to win away from home in the season so far after three attempts, and they faced a difficult tie at the Gelredome, home of Vitesse. The hosts had a perfect 100% record at home; however they lost this record on Sunday. Feyenoord scored two quick goals after 18 minutes to lead 2-0 through Stefan de Vrij’s first goal Feyenoord in almost two years and Graziano Pellé’s 10th goal of the season. However they almost paid the ultimate price for failing to put the game to bed. Mike Havenaar deservedly put the hosts back in contention when scoring on the 82nd minute however despite putting extreme pressure on Feyenoord’s goal in the remaining minutes of the game, the visitors luck ensured they took home all three points in a vital win for Ronald Koeman’s side.
The game of the round was on Saturday evening when Go Ahead Eagles took on NEC Nijmegen. In a thrilling game, Go Ahead Eagles led 3-0 at the break following goals by Deniz Turuc, Xander Houtkoop and Jarchinio Antonia’s with Turuc’s 30 yard free kick the pick of the bunch. However, in the second half three goals in 15 minutes saw NEC Nijmegen look to have rescued a point with just three minutes to spare. Though the never say die attitude of the newly promoted side saw an immediate response down the other end and Go Ahead Eagles restored their lead to take home the three points. The entertainment levels were certainly not so high in the 0-0 draw between Roda JC and PEC Zwolle on Saturday evening. The former league leaders, PEC Zwolle, are now winless in their last five fixtures however they should have wrapped up the three points away in Roda. The hosts were down to ten men after just 23 minutes when Roly Bonevacia was dismissed for a foul on Darryl Lachman. The resulting penalty was missed by PEC Zwolle and they were made to rue the missed opportunity as they failed to breakdown the ten men of Roda JC. The hosts were later reduced to nine men with just four minutes to spare when Frank Demouge was sent off for an elbow against Joost Broerse. The game remained goalless in the only draw of the weekend’s action.
In form side, NAC Breda continue to remain unbeaten after the last five fixtures as they defeated the unpredictable, Heracles Almelo to conclude Saturdays action. NAC Breda were initially in the bottom three however there impressive run has seen them rise up into 10th on 12 points. NAC Breda led just four minutes into the second half through Rydell Poepon; however his effort was immediately cancelled out by Heracles Almelo’s, Thomas Bruns. However, super sub, Stipe Perica scored with just seven minutes to spare to ensure that NAC Breda recorded their third victory of the season and leapfrog Heracles in the process.
The managerless AZ Alkmaar played in the Europa League on Thursday at home to Greek outfit, PAOK, which resulted in a 1-1 draw following a last minute equaliser by the visitors, and they appeared to be suffering from the midweek exploits. They travelled to FC Groningen on Sunday and were outplayed as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Euroborg Stadion. The hosts led when Nick Viergiver scored into his own net, though the visitors did respond minutes later to equalise. However anything but a victory for FC Groningen would have been harsh and they were rightly rewarded for their performance when youngster, Richairo Zivkovic made an immediate impact from the bench to score the winner for FC Groningen on the 71st minute.
Follow
