Well last week PSV sh*t the bed stumbling to a 2–2 draw against Fortuna and instantly letting Feyenoord and Ajax pull ahead. But it never stays predictable in the Eredivisie. This weekend, both rivals slipped to their own 2–2 draws, giving PSV the perfect chance to close the gap with a hard‑earned away win at Excelsior. Nothing is ever dull in this league as we experienced another goal feast of a weekend writes Will Burns.
I have attached highlights from the clubs’ official YouTube channel where available so you can watch while you read along.
FRIDAY 14TH AUGUST 2026
SC TELSTAR 1-3 SPARTA ROTTERDAM
Sparta claimed their first win of the season in the Friday night game and they have Nökkvi Thórisson to thank. The Icelandic forward on loan at Telstar last year, was the standout performer against his former club.
Sparta’s striker situation has been a talking point after Tobias Lauritsen left for Sampdoria, and with no replacement signed yet, Thórisson kept his place. Coach Rogier Meijer backed him before kickoff, and the Icelander repaid that trust immediately. After six minutes, Julian Baas whipped in a cross that deflected off Thórisson and fell perfectly for Marvin Young to score the opener.
Telstar took time to settle. Thórisson nearly doubled the lead, but the hosts goalkeeper, Ronald Koeman Jr. saved well, and Baas later denied Patrick Brouwer at the other end. After the break, Sparta started strongly as Ayoni Santos hit the post, but Telstar’s Jelani Seedorf struck the crossbar moments later.
Sparta made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when Thórisson finished against his former team. Telstar responded late: Abdelnour Soualhia punished a defensive mistake to make it 2–1, setting up a tense finish. But Sparta survived the pressure, and substitute Robin van Cruijsen sealed the win in stoppage time. Both clubs now sit on three points after two rounds.
SATURDAY 15TH AUGUST 2026
WILLEM II 1-4 NEC NIJMEGEN
NEC enjoyed a perfect warm‑up on Saturday afternoon ahead of their Champions League clash with Bodø/Glimt, comfortably beating Willem II 4–1. Bodø’s gaffer Kjetil Knutsen watched from the stands, though the opening phase offered little excitement, Willem II controlled the ball, but neither side created much. NEC didn’t register a shot for the first half‑hour, unusual for a Dick Schreuder team.
Despite the slow start, NEC managed to go in at half‑time a goal up. Clement Bischoff wasted a huge chance from an offside position, but in stoppage time he set up Adam Tahaui, who converted a curling cross to score. Willem II were furious, believing Tahaui had nudged his marker, but the referee and VAR allowed the goal.
After the break, NEC took full control. A deflected Bischoff shot fell kindly for Tjaronn Chery, who rounded the keeper to make it 2–0, becoming NEC’s oldest Eredivisie goalscorer at 38 years and 72 days. Bryan Linssen added a fortunate third after the ball bounced his way, and substitute Kaj Sierhuis quickly made it 4–0 with a sharp volley from a Chery chip.
Thomas Verheijdt pulled one back late on, but the result was never in doubt. NEC head into Wednesday’s first leg against the Norweigans in excellent spirits, while Willem II sit bottom of the Eredivisie after two defeats.
FC UTRECHT 1-4 AZ ALKMAAR
AZ claimed a comfortable win over FC Utrecht to move to the top of the Eredivisie. The home side started brightly but once AZ settled, chances followed — Wesley Patati hit the crossbar and caused constant danger.
Alkmaar took the lead just before half‑time when Peer Koopmeiners’ corner went straight in. After the break, Patati got his reward with a brilliant strike into the top corner for 2–0. Moments later, Mexx Meerdink finished a pull‑back from Mexican full-back Mateo Chávez to make it 3–0. Utrecht briefly responded through Artem Stepanov’s header, but a comeback never materialised. Substitute Ayoub Oufkir quickly restored AZ’s three‑goal cushion with a sharp finish from a tight angle.
AZ now have two wins from two and sit top of the league. Utrecht, meanwhile, have lost both matches under new coach Anthony Correia and find themselves second‑bottom, ahead of only Willem II.
EXCELSIOR 1-2 PSV EINDHOVEN
PSV bounced back from their poor start with a hard-fought win at Excelsior. Goals from Ruben van Bommel and Ricardo Pepi delivered Peter Bosz’s side their first three points.
With Sergiño Dest back from suspension and Joey Veerman starting in what would be his last game for the club, PSV began brightly. Excelsior did start well too, but Veerman’s perfect through ball sent Paul Wanner through on goal. His finish was saved, yet Ruben van Bommel reacted quickest and scored the rebound after just five minutes. This was Van Bommel’s first goal since September last year.
The rest of the first half offered little action, aside from an Ivan Perišić effort saved by Stijn van Gassel. The second half, however, saw two goals within the first ten minutes. Dest forced a save at one end, and moments later Casper Widell headed in Irakli Yegoian’s cross for 1–1 on 54 minutes. PSV hit back instantly: Dest’s low cross found Ricardo Pepi, who tapped in for 2-1.
PSV controlled the closing stages but wasted chances to finish the game. Three PSV subs came close to extending the lead. Debutant Kodai Sano saw two efforts saved, Amir Bouhamdi’s solo run ended without reward, and Dennis Man chipped wide after a brilliant pass from Veerman. Excelsior kept believing, but PSV held firm to secure their first win of the season.
Later in the weekend, Borussia Dortmund agreed a fee with PSV for Joey Veerman in the excess of €22 million.
FORTUNA SITTARD 3-1 SC CAMBUUR
Fortuna Sittard backed up last week’s strong result against PSV with another solid win, this time at home against Cambuur. They started fast: Philip Brittijn headed in a corner after six minutes, and Lequincio Zeefuik made it 2–0 shortly after with a sharp counter‑attack finish.
SC Cambuur, who were thrashed 4–0 by Excelsior last week, looked in trouble again but managed to pull one back through Rafik El Arguioui’s cool penalty. After the break, Fortuna needed goalkeeper Mattijs Branderhorst to keep them ahead, making several key saves. Deep into added time, substitute Shiloh Zand sealed the victory with a late goal for 3–1. Fortuna now have an unexpected four points from two matches.
SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST 2026
ADO DEN HAAG 1-4 FC GRONINGEN
ADO Den Haag’s first top flight home match in five years didn’t go as planned as Groningen ignored the party atmosphere in The Hague and cruised to a comfortable win.
The hosts were full of excitement after returning to the top flight, but Groningen struck early. Thom van Bergen made it 1–0 after a long ball from Etienne Vaessen, and Brynjólfur Willumsson doubled the lead with a simple finish for his second goal of the season. Just before half‑time, David van der Werff tapped in a third after a swift counter attack.
After the half-time break, Groningen immediately had several opportunities to extend their lead, but following a mistake by Elvis van der Laan, the goal suddenly came at the other end. Yannick Eduardo capitalised and scored ADO’s first goal since their return to the top flights but Groningen substitute Nils Eggens sealed the result late on with his first Eredivisie goal. The visitors stay unbeaten after two matches; ADO however, still search for their first point.
FC TWENTE 3-1 PEC ZWOLLE
FC Twente picked up their first league win of the new season beating PEC Zwolle 3–1 at De Grolsch Veste. The victory comes at a good moment for John van den Brom’s side, who had faced criticism after a poor start that included defeat to SC Heerenveen, the Europa League elimination, and a chaotic 3–3 draw with DAC.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Twente began strongly and dominated possession but the mood soured when PEC struck first. Twente keeper Lars Unnerstall played Robin Pröpper into trouble, and the defender lost the ball, and former Newcastle United youth Elias Sørensen punished the mistake. This was the first goal for the Dane since his summer transfer from Vålerenga.
Twente responded quickly. Daouda Weidmann wriggled free and smashed in a long‑range equaliser, giving the hosts a much‑needed lift. After the break, Twente regained control with help from Zwolle. Dylan Mbayo accidentally headed Bart van Rooij’s cross into his own net for 2–1.
From there, Twente pushed on. Wout Weghorst missed a big chance, but PEC struggled to stay in the game. Daan Rots made it 3–1 with a powerful strike from distance, leaving Jasper Schendelaar helpless. Quick note, Sam Lammers came on again as a substitute, this time on 82 minutes for Weghorst. Late on, fans celebrated the debut of big summer signing Filip Thorvaldsen, who arrived for €5.5 million, also from Vålerenga.
The win gives Twente some breathing room ahead of their Conference League play‑off against Qarabag. They host the first leg in Enschede before travelling to Azerbaijan for the return.
FEYENOORD 2-2 GO AHEAD EAGLES
Feyenoord suffered a surprising setback in their first home match of the season. Despite leading 2–0 through Gjivai Zechiël and Ayase Ueda, they couldn’t hold off Go Ahead Eagles and were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst made just one change from the 1–0 win over Sparta, bringing Tsuyoshi Watanabe back into the centre of defence. With Zechiël and Luciano Valente operating ahead of Charles Vanhoutte, Feyenoord controlled the early stages. Zechiël created the first big chance for Ueda, who missed the far corner, but the pressure kept building.
Go Ahead nearly struck first when Yassir Salah Rahmouni hit the crossbar after a misplaced pass from Tjark Ernst. Moments later, Feyenoord responded. Zechiël stayed alert in the box and finished on the second attempt to make it 1–0. Soon after, Anis Hadj Moussa delivered a perfect cross for Ueda, who headed in the 2–0.
Feyenoord should have made it 3–0 early in the second half, but Ueda missed a clear chance. That opened the door for Go Ahead and Evert Linthorst wasted a big opportunity, but Søren Tengstedt soon pulled one back with a sharp finish into the far corner on 63 minutes.
The goal lifted Go Ahead’s confidence. Victor Edvardsen threatened, Giovanni van Zwam hit the post, and Sem Steijn had to clear off the line. Van Bronckhorst was forced to replace an exhausted Givairo Read, and the pressure kept rising. In the 80th minute, substitute Stefán Ingi Sigurdarson made an instant impact, heading in the 2–2 equaliser moments after coming on.
Van Bronckhorst sent on Shaqueel van Persie for a final push, but Feyenoord couldn’t regain the lead. Mathis Suray hit the crossbar for Go Ahead, then Mika Mármol struck the woodwork at the other end. The match delivered plenty of drama, but no winning goal. Go Ahead Eagles left De Kuip with a deserved point.
AJAX 2-2 SC HEERENVEEN
Ajax also dropped points on Sunday afternoon even though Míchel Sánchez’s side started brilliantly against Heerenveen, flying out of the blocks, pressing high and dominating the early stages. With 17‑year‑old Abdellah Ouazana replacing the departed Mika Godts, the Amsterdammers created several good chances for Oscar Gloukh and Steven Berghuis, but their finishing let them down.
The breakthrough came after seven minutes from a corner, when the ball bounced off the post and Heerenveen goalkeeper Bernt Klaverboer accidentally headed it into his own net. Ajax doubled their lead half an hour in. Ouazana had struggled early on, misplacing passes and frustrating his coach, but he made up for it with a stunning long‑range strike to make it 2–0 giving Klaverboer no chance.
Ajax then eased off the pressure which allowed Heerenveen back into the game. Marc ter Stegen made key saves from Luca Oyen and Dylan Vente, while Kasper Dolberg missed a huge chance at the other end. Just before half‑time, right-winger Jacob Trenskow cut inside and hammered the ball into the top corner to pull one back.
The second half lacked the intensity of the first, Ajax slowed down, chances dried up, and Heerenveen eventually punished them. With ten minutes to go, a loose ball after a cross fell to substitute Maxence Rivera, and the Frenchman smashed in the equaliser off the underside of the bar.
This was the third straight draw between the two sides. Ajax miss the chance to join AZ and FC Groningen at six points and now sit fifth with four points, level with Go Ahead Eagles, Fortuna Sittard, PSV, Feyenoord and Heerenveen. Ajax will now need to regroup to face FC Sion on Thursday in the Conference League play‑offs.
Please gamble responsibly. BeGambleAware.org