As the Eredivisie began to regain its balance after a decisive week in the title race, it appeared that the expected hierarchy was reinstated over the weekend.
With the title increasingly out of reach, as indicated by Opta’s predictive model, the players and staff at PSV redirected their attention towards securing the second position. Feyenoord’s right-back Givairo Read made headlines by expressing their intent to challenge PSV for this key spot, which ensures a place in the UEFA Champions League’s league phase.
The Rotterdam outfit demonstrated their commitment during the midweek match against FC Groningen, achieving a crucial victory that narrowed the gap to five points from a PSV side that had suffered a morale-denting defeat.
In their quest to challenge the reigning champions, Robin van Persie’s squad first faced a tough encounter against AZ in Alkmaar.
Feyenoord had the upper hand historically, with AZ failing to secure a win in their last four Eredivisie encounters, while Feyenoord had triumphed in the last six meetings leading up to Saturday’s clash.
Sunny Alkmaar provided the backdrop for a contest between the third and fifth-placed sides in the Eredivisie, with fans hoping for an exhilarating display of football.
However, in a twist, those optimistic supporters would return from the game feeling cold and indifferent. The clash between AZ and Feyenoord fell short of expectations in terms of excitement and quality. The only goal came from an unfortunate own goal by Zico Buurmeester, who inadvertently directed the ball past the stand-in keeper Jeroen Zoet with a header.
This own goal led to a curious statistic: it marked the first time in 15 seasons that a team won an Eredivisie match without registering a single shot on target.
The victory positioned Feyenoord just two points shy of PSV, who were set to face FC Groningen later that same evening.
FC Groningen had rekindled their competitive spirit in recent weeks, climbing from the lower end of the congested midfield to the top. Defending their position in the European football playoffs, they welcomed a formidable opponent to the Euroborg.
Having secured three wins in their last six matches, FC Groningen had matched their total for victories from August 18th to February 7th. In contrast, PSV’s hopes of winning a second consecutive title dimmed, with only three league victories to their name since 2025.
Peter Bosz’s side proved they hadn’t lost their edge when Malik Tillman, back from injury and making his first start since recovery, teamed up with Ivan Perisic to net two expertly crafted goals within the first 30 minutes, putting PSV up 2-0.
However, FC Groningen fought valiantly, spearheaded by the inventive Luciano Valente. Fresh from his debut for the Dutch U21 side just two weeks prior, Valente showcased his talent, leading his team with two created chances, 13 passes in the final third, three successful dribbles, and three shots on goal.
Valente also provided the assist for Dave Kwakman’s goal to reduce the deficit to 2-1, with a well-placed curler that found its way behind Walter Benitez and netted Kwakman’s second goal of the season.
For the 20-year-old Kwakman, it was a memorable match for more than one reason, as he faced off against his childhood neighbour, Joey Veerman. The midfielders are connected through their mothers and sisters, who are close friends, leading to a heartwarming interview post-match.
“He was exceptional today,” Veerman remarked about Kwakman. “I reckon he was fouled around 20 times – he was truly impressive today.”
“I’m not usually one for scoring goals,” reacted Kwakman to his achievement, eliciting laughter from Veerman. “It’s nice hearing him say that. He had a lot of fantastic touches, using his body really well. He’s not my little neighbour anymore; he’s grown up,” Veerman said with a grin.
Post-match, it was Veerman who had more reason to smile, as Johan Bakayoko netted the decisive goal in the 88th minute. PSV managed to hold onto their five-point advantage over Feyenoord after a hard-fought victory in Groningen, while the home side relinquished grip on their crucial eighth position, essential for playoff contention in European football.
At the pinnacle of the Eredivisie, Ajax maintained their lead as NAC Breda, one of the two teams to have defeated Ajax this season, succumbed to a 3-1 loss in Amsterdam.
Slovakian starlet Leo Sauer, featured in last week’s FlashFocus, opened the scoring for the visitors early on with a clever effort from the edge of the box.
However, NAC couldn’t hold the lead into half-time. With regular goalkeeper Daniel Bielica absent, Roy Kortsmit made his first Eredivisie start in seven years. The former Sparta goalie made a crucial impact in the first half when Ajax forward Don-Angelo Konadu was upended by Kortsmit in a challenge reminiscent of judo.
Kenneth Taylor, Ajax’s leading scorer with eight goals, converted the resulting penalty in the 32nd minute, just two minutes before Steven Berghuis put Ajax ahead after a slick interplay between Konadu and Taylor.
Celebrations ensued for the return of the injured Wout Weghorst as 16-year-old Jorthy Mokio entered the history books as Ajax’s second youngest goalscorer in Eredivisie history. Mokio’s age of 16 years and 346 days only falls short of Clarence Seedorf’s record of 16 years and 343 days when he scored his first Eredivisie goal.
The seven matches and challenges Farioli mentioned during the homecoming after the PSV clash have now dwindled to six, as Ajax inched closer to claiming a historic 37th Eredivisie title. As always, however, Farioli dismissed any discussions about a potential title, saying, “Six games left, so 18 more points to fight for,” when he spoke to ESPN post-victory.
Among the top three of the Eredivisie, now regarded as the ‘Traditional Top 3,’ three of the five teams that clinched victories this past weekend led to disappointment for their competition, which wasn’t the case for one team.
FC Utrecht remains the sole team without a loss in the Eredivisie this season, although their unbeaten run seemed threatened for much of the first half against Go Ahead Eagles. The seventh-placed Eagles put up a strong fight, primarily thanks to the outstanding Finnish prospect, Oliver Antman.
Having entered the match as the league leader in assists with 12, Antman added two more assists in the first half to elevate his tally to 14 from 27 games. He set up Oliver Edvardsen with his first assist in the 14th minute, followed by a well-timed assist for Mathis Suray three minutes later.
Go Ahead Eagles dominated the first half, leaving Utrecht manager Ron Jans searching for solutions. The veteran decided to make two substitutions before the 40-minute mark, bringing on Oscar Fraulo and Kollbeinn Finnson for an irritated Souffian El Karouani and Alonzo Engwanda.
As is often the case with a tactical shuffle, the changes soon bore fruit. Utrecht, who had been dormant before the 40th minute, scored two rapid goals before half-time to level the match in Deventer. Yoann Cathline struck from long range to beat Jari De Busser, before Miguel Rodriguez profited from a lucky ricochet to finish an easy one-on-one.
Despite the fireworks in the first half alongside the Eagles, the second half was drastically different. The two teams created a combined expected goals on target (xGOT) of 2.37 in the first half, while the second half mustered up a paltry 0.03. Mathis Suray came closest for Utrecht, but the Belgian’s strike hit the crossbar.
Not much changed in the standings with the draw, particularly with FC Twente and AZ failing to impress. Twente played host to Fortuna Sittard on Saturday night in an insipid match in Enschede that ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
FC Twente dominated the initial half against the Limburg outfit but could only break the deadlock from the penalty spot, with Sem Steijn scoring his 23rd goal of the season. The ‘Tukkers’ contained Fortuna well in the first half but faced disappointment when Brazilian centre-back Rodrigo Guth salvaged a point for Fortuna in the dying moments of the match.
The only other victors in the upper half of the Eredivisie were sc Heerenveen. Under their newly appointed coach Robin Veldman, Heerenveen prevailed with a commanding 3-1 victory over the struggling Willem II.
Moldovan striker Ion Nicolaescu and centre-back Sam Kersten, who scored his first professional goal in his 217th match, propelled Heerenveen to a 2-0 lead by the 31st minute against a listless Willem II. The Frisians unleashed 15 shots at Thomas Didillon-Hodl’s goal during the first half but couldn’t maintain their aggressive style post-break.
With their pace suddenly eased, Heerenveen allowed Willem II back into the game, but not before securing a third goal through Ilias Sebaoui in the 66th minute. Willem II managed a consolation goal from Jesse Bosch, assisted by Emilio Kehrer, the younger sibling of AS Monaco’s Thilo Kehrer, but couldn’t escape their sixth consecutive Eredivisie loss.
With Heerenveen taking over Groningen’s eighth position in the table, they currently clinch the last playoff berth for European football.
NAC Breda’s defeat in Amsterdam meant that Willem II’s loss didn’t greatly impact them. However, RKC Waalwijk endured a rough time this weekend.
The beleaguered team from southern Netherlands faced off against Heracles at their Mandemakers Stadion, knowing they needed a win to keep their survival hopes alive.
The home side created the more significant chances against Heracles, who announced their new head coach Bas Sibum during the week. Yet they couldn’t find the back of the net, with a heroic clearance from Jannes Wieckhoff and a shocking miss from Polish striker Oskar Zawada, ending the match in a frustrating 0-0 draw.
The draw left RKC level on points with Almere City, who made an impressive second-half comeback to claim a point against PEC Zwolle.
Almere City, having failed to convert their promising first-half efforts into goals, found themselves trailing 2-0 at half-time due to strikes from Anouar El Azzouzzi and Dylan Vente, despite having generated a higher xG of 1.73 compared to PEC’s 0.76.
As Almere City continued to outshine their rivals, Iraqi Como loanee Ali Jasim and Frenchman Junior Kadile netted crucial goals to secure the home side a well-deserved point, extending Almere City’s unbeaten run to three matches – their best streak in a year.
Winners of the Week
Sparta Rotterdam also showcased an impressive unbeaten run under returning coach Maurice Steijn, having gone five Eredivisie matches without a loss following a 2-0 win over NEC Nijmegen in Rotterdam.
Despite finishing the first half without a shot on target, the home side secured a lead when Ajax loanee Kristian Hlynsson’s header struck the post and ricocheted off goalkeeper Robin Roefs’ thigh into the goal.
When Vito van Crooij received his second yellow card, Nokkvi Thorisson secured the win with a powerful shot to the near post in the 84th minute. Sparta’s fifth game without defeat marked their best streak since early 2022, allowing them to jump from 15th to 12th in the standings.
From fears of relegation to vying for a spot in the European playoffs, Sparta Rotterdam is defying everyone’s expectations.
Losers of the Week
With Willem II faltering, RKC Waalwijk missed a crucial opportunity to improve their relegation bid in a lackluster 0-0 draw. The home side could have turned the match in their favour on several occasions, but failed to score due to a phenomenal interception from Jannes Wieckhoff and a glaring miss from Oskar Zawada, leaving them five points adrift of safety with only six matches remaining.
Goal of the Week
Not many spectacular goals were scored this weekend, so let’s highlight the best story instead.
Sam Kersten, who made his professional debut for second-division FC Den Bosch as an 18-year-old in December 2016, had yet to find the net at the professional level. Not even at youth level with Jong Brabant United had he achieved this feat.
When a rebound fell kindly to him against Willem II, Kersten did something that must have felt surreal for a defender — he scored his first professional goal in his 208th league appearance. His celebration appeared slightly awkward, but it was fitting: “It even surprised me,” Kersten told ESPN after the match.
Team of the Week
Following their 3-1 success over Willem II, sc Heerenveen emerged as the standout performers of the week. Led by Moldovan striker Ion Nicolaescu, who opened the scoring and registered four shots, six touches in the opposition box, and eight duels won, Heerenveen’s strong display was backed by Sam Kersten, who marked his first professional goal along with achieving seven clearances and two interceptions.
Captain Luuk Brouwers, although substituted at half-time, was a significant presence against Willem II, boasting two shots, 100% passing accuracy, two creative chances, and three clearances before the break, earning him the accolade of player of the week.
Ajax and Feyenoord also contributed two players each to this week’s Best XI. Steven Berghuis (one goal, eight crosses, 23 passes in the final third) and Kenneth Taylor (one goal, one assist, three created chances) were key figures in Ajax’s 3-1 performance against NAC Breda, while Gernot Trauner (four interceptions, ten clearances) and Timon Wellenreuther (five saves, clean sheet) were instrumental in Feyenoord’s hard-fought victory over AZ.
Malik Tillman (one goal, 12 duels won, five tackles won) was the sole PSV representative, while Mathis Suray, Jannes Wieckhoff, and Mike Eerdhuijzen made the cut from Go Ahead Eagles, Heracles Almelo, and Sparta Rotterdam respectively. Suray contributed to a 2-0 lead alongside his three shots on target, two successful tackles, and two crosses, whereas Wieckhoff garnered attention for his defensive prowess (five tackles, three interceptions), and Eerdhuijzen led Sparta in passes (60), duels won (eight), aerial duels won (four), tackles won (three), interceptions (three), and touches (86).
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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