Eredivisie weekend round up: Pereiro double ends Ajax run
Champions PSV put an end to Ajax’ unbeaten start, Feyenoord draw level with fightback, while Groningen are hammered in Arnhem, writes Neil Adderley.
Heracles Almelo 2 0 Heerenveen: Heracles back on track
After a remarkable five game unbeaten run was brought to an end last weekend by AZ, Heracles quickly returned to form with a comfortable victory over struggling Heerenveen.
A goal either side of halftime was enough for John Stegeman’s side to see off the disappointing Frisians.
Firstly, Iliass Bel Hassani smashed a right foot volley into the roof of the net to give the hosts the lead on 35 minutes, before victory was assured when Wout Weghorst sent a looping second half header beyond Erwin Mulder.
The win sees Heracles move within one point of leaders Ajax with eight games played.
NEC Nijmegen 4 1 ADO Den Haag: ADO overrun in Nijmegen
ADO’s dreadful run continued in the Goffertstadion as in form NEC moved into the top seven with an impressive display.
The visitors shot themselves in the foot when Aaron Meijers turned a Anthony Limbombe cross into his own net after just 20 seconds.
NEC were in full control and should have doubled the lead but Christian Santos failed to beat Martin Hansen in the ADO goal.
And the hosts were made to pay as Vito Wormgoor headed home from a Edouard Duplan corner.
However, NEC blew ADO away with three goals in fifteen second half minutes.
Limbombe, who had terrorised the ADO defence throughout, tapped home on 75 minutes, a goal sandwiched in between a Santos double, the first a wonderful overhead kick.
Roda JC 1 1 Cambuur Leeuwarden: All square in Kerkrade
Cambuur left Kerkrade with a point, and still searching for a first win of the season.
Roda started the game as the brighter of the two teams, but it was Bartholomew Ogbeche who gave Cambuur an undeserved lead.
The striker should have doubled the visitors advantage before the break, but failed to find the net after rounding goalkeeper Benjamin van Leer.
Roda came close when Richmond Boakye fired a shot against the post, before a wonder strike from Tom van Hyfte brought the sides level.
Willem II 0 1 PEC Zwolle: PEC keep quietly marching on
Adeflected Ouasim Bouy free kick gave Ron Jans’ men victory in Tilburg.
Willem II began the stronger and were left ruing what might have been as firstly, Nick van der Velden, and then Erik Falkenburg, failed to break the deadlock.
PEC keeper Mickey van der Hart was in fine form, denying van der Velden once more, and just before the break Bouy hit the winner when his deflected free kick beat Willem II keeper Kostas Lamprou.
Excelsior 1 0 Utrecht: Jeff Stans spot kick enough for Excelsior
Chances were at a premium in Rotterdam as a Jeff Stans penalty was enough to separate the sides.
Utrecht’s Robbin Ruiter was the busier of the goalkeepers, pulling off excellent stops to deny both Khalid Karami and Brandley Kuwas.
At the other end, Excelsior stopper Tom Muyters denied Sean Kleiber.
With the clock ticking down, a rash challenge by Utrecht’s Willem Janssen, gave Stans the opportunity to win the game from 12 yards.
De Graafschap 1 2 Feyenoord: Kramer and Elia complete Feyenoord comeback
Two second half goals from summer signings Michiel Kramer and Eljero Elia moved Feyenoord level on points with fierce rivals Ajax.
However, the Rotterdammers had to do it the hard way after being put under real pressure by a resurgent De Graafschap.
The hosts got off to a flying start and grabbed a lead their play deserved on 14 minutes.
Feyenoord keeper Kenneth Vermeer initially blocked a Erik Quekel effort, but the forward reacted quickest to steer the ball home via the unfortunate Sven van Beek.
And De Graafschap should have doubled the lead as Quekel was denied by Vermeer, before a Jan Lammer’s header was harshly disallowed for a block on the busy Feyenoord keeper.
Feyenoord seemed a changed team in the second half, and once Kramer nodded home a Simon Gustafson cross, the visitors looked the only likely winners.
De Graafschap’s resilience was finally broken on 73 minutes as Elia slotted past Hidde Jurjus after being played in by substitute Tonny Vilhena.
Ajax 1 2 PSV Eindhoven: Pereiro brace hands champions the spoils
Ajax’ unbeaten start to the season came to a halt as a Gaston Pereiro double gave PSV victory in Amsterdam.
The young Uruguayan, making his full debut in place of injured top scorer and captain Luuk de Jong, fired the champions ahead after just seven minutes.
Ajax responded almost immediately when Amin Younes cut in from the left before curling past Jeroen Zoet in the PSV goal.
Undeterred, PSV continued to dominate and should have restored a lead before the halftime whistle.
Firstly, Ajax defender Joel Veltman blocked on the line from Jurgen Locadia, while fellow Ajacied, Riechedly Bazoer, repeated the feat from the resultant corner.
PSV controlled the second period as both Davy Propper and Luciano Narsingh were unfortunate not to get on the score sheet.
However, the champions would not be denied a crucial victory as Pereiro curled a stunning shot beyond Jasper Cillessen to seal victory for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his men.
Vitesse Arnhem 5 0 Groningen: Visitors embarrassed in Arnhem
Groningen conceded four goals in 30 second half minutes as Vitesse ran out easy winners at the Gelredome.
The visitors started brightly with Mimoun Mahi crashing a superb long range effort off the Vitesse crossbar.
But it was the hosts who took the lead on 18 minutes when Dominic Solanke finished from close range, after Sergio Padt failed to hold a Marvellous Nakamba effort.
Groningen again hit the woodwork through Michael de Leeuw, before a worrying capitulation allowed Vitesse to run riot in the final 30 minutes.
After 61 minutes, Kevin Diks, scoring his first ever Eredivisie goal, opened the floodgates for Vitesse.
Diks’ strike was rapidly followed by goals from Valeri Qazaishvili, Nathan and Abiola Dauda.
Vitesse move into the top six, while Groningen, on a day to forget, drop to tenth.
AZ Alkmaar 3 1 FC Twente: Janssen breaks duck to down Twente
Helped no end by an impressive midweek Europa League victory over Athletic Bilbao, AZ had too much for a struggling FC Twente in Alkmaar.
Vincent Janssen was the hero of the day for the hosts, as the striker finally broke his Eredivisie duck with two goals in ten second half minutes.
A Guus Huppert strike made it 30 for AZ on 81 minutes, moments before Twente captain Hakim Ziyech hit a sublime consolation for the visitors.
AZ finally seem to be regaining something of the form that carried them to a fine third place finish last term.
Meanwhile, Twente, who find themselves in the relegation zone, look to be facing a long and hard Eredivisie campaign.
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