A wild opening week in the second tier of Dutch football. A seven-goal thriller in Venlo, a dodgy sending off in Arnhem and more writes Will Burns.
I have attached highlights from the clubs’ official or ESPN.nl’s YouTube channel where available so you can watch while you read along.
FRIDAY 7TH AUGUST 2026
FC DORDRECHT 2-1 JONG AJAX
Jong Ajax began the new season with a 2–1 defeat to FC Dordrecht, a result that could easily have gone the other way. It marked a disappointing debut for new coach Carlos García, who stepped up after serving as assistant to Oscar García last year.
The visitors made a perfect start when Pharell Nash scored after just four minutes, but Dordrecht hit back almost immediately and took the lead inside fifteen minutes. Nick Venema’s cross found Ayoub Ouarghi unmarked at the far post, and he finished neatly past goalkeeper Heerkens.
Despite several chances from Nash, Emre Ünüvar and Diego Pugno, Ajax couldn’t find an equaliser. García’s side featured several debutants, including Pugno and Jano Monserrate, while Fouad Zahouani came on late. None could prevent former Jong Ajax coach Paul Nuijten from guiding Dordrecht to victory.
FC EMMEN 1-0 RODA JC
FC Emmen fought to a 1–0 win over Roda JC, thanks to a decisive strike from Freddy Quispel midway through the second half. For more than an hour the match at De Oude Meerdijk looked destined to finish goalless, with both sides creating only half‑chances, until Quispel finally broke the deadlock. Casper Staring slipped him in from the right, Quispel found a pocket of space, and calmly guided the ball into the far corner past Justin Treichel.
Emmen had the better of the play throughout, especially early on, though clear chances were rare. Quispel fired a tame effort and Jack Cooper‑Love couldn’t trouble the keeper, while at the other end Emmen survived a scare when Koen Jansen’s driven cross smashed off the bar and the rebound was ruled offside.
After the break, Roda appealed for a penalty when Dyon Dorenbosch went down, but referee Martin Perez waved it away — perhaps influenced by an earlier dive from Cain Seedorf. Moments later, Emmen struck through Quispel.
TOP OSS 1-2 NAC BREDA
NAC snatched a late 2-1 win away at TOP Oss, thanks to goals from substitutes Moussa Soumano and Pepijn Reulen. NAC’s coach Carl Hoefkens had to cope with several absences: Mats Seuntjens and Kamal Sowah were unavailable due to personal circumstances, while Brahim Ghalidi is still recovering from injury. New signings Michael Verrips, Jan van den Bergh, Jannes Van Hecke and Paul Gladon all started.
NAC created early pressure through long‑range efforts from Raul Paula and two dangerous moments from Rio Hillen, but TOP Oss struck first. In the 19th minute, a loose cross caused chaos, Verrips made an initial save, but Franslyn Nsigni reacted quickest to force the ball in. NAC responded with a Van den Bergh header, and Verrips kept his side alive with a strong stop on a clear TOP Oss chance.
After the break, NAC pushed hard for an equaliser. Gladon and his teammates hit the post twice in the same attack, and TOP Oss later clipped the crossbar themselves. The breakthrough finally came with 25 minutes left when Soumano, returning from injury, tapped in the 1–1. NAC sensed momentum and threw everything forward.
Deep into stoppage time, Boyd Lucassen delivered the assist for Reulen, who calmly slotted home the winner to seal all three points to round off a promising opening night, and a strong start to Hoefkens’ third year in charge.
VVV VENLO 3-4 HERACLES ALMELO
Heracles Almelo looked in full control for most of their season opener, but the final fifteen minutes turned the match into chaos. Despite throwing away a comfortable lead, Vincent Heilmann’s side still managed to beat VVV‑Venlo in a wild 3–4 victory.
Heilmann handed a debut to goalkeeper Fabian de Keijzer, chosen for his experience and ability to guide a defence featuring three new signings: David Vicente Robles, Mario Borac and Manny Rodriguez.
Heracles should have led early when Max Hauswirth went one‑on‑one with Youri Schoonderwaldt, but the VVV keeper saved well. The breakthrough finally came just before half‑time when Tristan van Gilst converted a penalty after Chafik Abbas was fouled. Moments later, Heracles doubled their lead: Manny Rodriguez burst down the left and crossed for Vicente Robles to tap in for 0–2.
The only setback was the early injury to Jeff Reine‑Adélaïde, who impressed before being forced off after 20 minutes. Djevencio van der Kust replaced him. Heracles dominated after the break and created chance after chance, but it took until the 70th minute for Jean‑Paul N’Djoli to finish a counterattack and make it 0–3. The match looked over — until VVV suddenly came alive.
Dean Zandbergen sparked a dramatic comeback, scoring twice after sloppy defending from Heracles. Then debutant Devy Hendrix made it 3–3 in the 86th minute, completing an unlikely turnaround. But Heracles weren’t done. N’Djoli stepped up again, smashing an absolute wondergoal from long‑range to seal a frantic 4-3 win.
Afterwards, Heilmann admitted the match was far from comfortable. “Great for the fans, not so great for a coach,” he said. He also addressed Reine‑Adélaïde’s injury: “During the minutes he played, he was the best player on the pitch. Jeff is a fantastic footballer and a great person. For him and for us, I hope it’s nothing serious.”
VITESSE ARNHEM 1-1 RKC WAALWIJK
Vitesse looked set for a perfect start to the new season, but a moment of madness from goalkeeper Connor van den Berg cost them the win. After his red card and the resulting penalty, Rüdiger Rehm’s side had to settle for a 1–1 draw against RKC Waalwijk.
The 21-year old playmaker, Mathijs Marschalk was everywhere, switching play, pressing, and driving the team forward. His best moment came after half an hour, when he calmly plucked a long ball out of the air, flicked it over Jesse van de Haar, and then wrong‑footed Azzeddine Dkidak in one smooth sequence. Despite his energy, Vitesse created little before the break. Aside from a few crosses and a powerful effort from Ricardo‑Felipe Schwarz, they rarely threatened. RKC weren’t much better, though Van de Haar did hit the crossbar with a header.
Vitesse finally broke through thanks to Omar Achouitar. The centre‑back dribbled forward from deep, stumbled as he shot, but still managed to guide the ball to the far post where Naoufal Bannis finished for 1–0. Marschalk almost doubled the lead after the hour mark, but his strike flew wide. By then, Vitesse were clearly the better side.
Then everything changed. With the ball already in his hands, goalkeeper Van den Berg inexplicably elbowed Nazjir Held, a needless act that earned him a straight red card and handed RKC a penalty. However, the replay showed that Held made an absolute meal of it. Finn Stokkers converted, making it 1–1. Down to ten men, Vitesse had to survive the final minutes under pressure. They held firm, but the three points had slipped away.
SATURDAY 8TH AUGUST 2026
FC DEN BOSCH 1-1 ALMERE CITY
FC Den Bosch and Almere City shared the points at De Vliert. Ilias Boumassaoudi scored a brilliant curler early in the second half to give the hosts the lead, but Ferdy Druijf quickly headed in the equaliser.
Den Bosch started brightly, though the first big chance went to Almere. Emmanuel Poku broke through and set up Olivier de Nijs, whose shot was blocked at the last moment. Marley Dors then forced a save from Pepijn van de Merbel, and Poku smashed the crossbar soon after.
The goals arrived after the break. Monzialo switched play to Boumassaoudi, who cut inside and bent a superb shot into the far corner for 1–0. Almere responded quickly: Dors delivered a perfect cross to Druijf at the back post, and his header went in off the upright.
Both teams pushed for a winner. Poku had a goal ruled out because the ball had already crossed the byline, Boumassaoudi was denied by a goal‑line clearance, and Byron Burgering slid a late chance just wide. In the end, neither side could find a second goal, and it finished 1–1.
SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST 2026
HELMOND SPORT 1-1 DE GRAAFSCHAP
New De Graafschap coach Thomas Duivenvoorden saw his side struggle badly in the first half, falling behind early to a Dean Huiberts goal and surviving two big chances from Livio Cicero, who failed to finish.
Only in the final 20 minutes before the break did De Graafschap push Helmond back, though chances remained scarce. Despite that, they went into half‑time level when Fedde de Jong tapped in from close range in stoppage time — a goal that hardly reflected their performance.
Duivenvoorden brought on German striker Julian Kania at the break, which added energy and forced Helmond deeper. De Graafschap pressed, but aside from a Joran Hardeman header, clear chances didn’t come.
Helmond Sport finished strongly and created two late opportunities through Van der Velden and Zimuangana, but couldn’t find a winner. The Superboeren escaped with a point, but it was a disappointing start.
MVV MAASTRICHT 2-1 JONG FC UTRECHT
MVV scored within two minutes of both halves in their 2–1 win over Jong Utrecht. First, Lennerd Daneels delivered a perfect corner for Ilias Breugelmans to head in. After the break, Delano Asante and Elias Sierra sliced through the Utrecht defence, with Sierra finishing the move.
The win was deserved. Nearly 4,000 fans came to watch Andries Jonker’s return and MVV immediately took control. Their early lead didn’t last long, though after Bjorn Menzo broke through and beat Hugo Wentges to make it 1–1. MVV kept attacking, creating several good moves, but Utrecht’s defence and goalkeeper held firm. New striker Toni Vinogradac worked hard but had a painful debut, forced off after half an hour with what looked like a hamstring injury.
Jaël Pawirodihardjo replaced him and MVV stayed on the front foot, scoring quickly after the restart for 2–1. From there, Jonker’s side played with maturity, relying on pace from Asante and Pawirodihardjo on the counter. The new midfield trio, Stan Van Dessel, Olivier Dumont and Elias Sierra, impressed with their control and composure. Full-backs Sil van der Wegen and Milan Hofland also grew into the game, while Daneels remained dangerous throughout.
Pawirodihardjo thought he had sealed the match late on, but his goal was ruled out for offside. In the final minutes, Wentges made a crucial save from a header to protect the lead.
MONDAY 10TH AUGUST 2026
JONG AZ 0-1 FC EINDHOVEN
In Wijdewormer, FC Eindhoven looked set to drop points even after Mika de Jonge’s unbelievable miss, hesitating in front of an empty net long nough for a defender to clear. But central defender Owen Renfrum made sure it didn’t matter. His header from a Niek Munsters corner sealed the first three points of the season for the Aalsterweg side.
Jong AZ welcomed back Sem van Duijn, returning to Alkmaar after a strong spell at Telstar where he scored five goals in 14 matches. He nearly marked his comeback with an opener but squandered a golden chance. FC Eindhoven, meanwhile, had Jort Borgmans to thank as the goalkeeper produced five saves, to keep a clean sheet, and ensured all three points went to the visitors.
JONG PSV 3-2 FC VOLENDAM
Henk Veerman must have thought he had give his side all three points when he hit two goals against Jong PSV from a goal down, however, failure to shut up shop at the other end saw Veerman and FC Volendam lose all three points before the 90 minutes was up.
Jong PSV fielded a strong lineup with first-teamers Yarek Gasiorowski and Esmir Bajraktarevic starting looking for match fitness. They input showed as Stijn Schaars’ side controlled the opening stages. Fabio Kluit put them ahead after 20 minutes, much to the frustration of the travelling fans from North Holland. But the relegated Wijdbroeken still had Veerman.
Nick Doodeman whipped in a free kick and the towering striker headed in a surprise equaliser. An hour in, Mohammed Belfqih set up Veerman again, and he made it 2–1. Ten minutes from time, Joël van den Berg pounced on a rebound to level things at 2–2, setting up a tense finish. In the final minute, things turned out differently. Shuryjano Cornecion scored from a cross from the right, meaning Erwin van de Looi and his team had to return to Volendam without any points.
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