Due to the international break, the ninth round of action in the Dutch top flight got underway on Saturday evening with two fixtures kicking off simultaneously that saw reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven tune up for their UEFA Champions League encounter with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening by hitting a hapless FC Emmen for six to move eight points clear at the top of the standings ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures while, at the same time, goals from Jeffry Fortes and Jurgen Mattheij saw an undermanned Excelsior edge out Vitesse Arnhem at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion.

Saturday’s Eredivisie action was concluded with two more fixtures that saw title-chasing Ajax, who themselves welcome Benfica to the Johan Cruijff ArenA in UEFA Champions League action on Tuesday evening, promptly reduce PSV’s advantage at the top of the table back to five points after Erik ten Hag’s men hit Heerenveen for four without reply in Friesland while an own goal from the unlucky Ricardo van Rhijn saw FC Utrecht snatch all three points from under the noses of visiting AZ Alkmaar at the Stadion Galgenwaard.

Sunday’s action in the top flight of Dutch football got underway in Breda where a Mikhail Rosheuvel spot kick sixteen minutes from time ultimately proved enough to earn bottom-of-the-table, NAC a share of the spoils from their derby clash with Willem II.

Elsewhere, goals from Peniel Mlapa and Jay-Roy Grot saw VVV Venlo sweep aside the challenge of visiting ADO Den Haag to edge their way into the top five.

Meanwhile, Heracles ended the weekend five points and one place better off than VVV after coming from a goal down to hit struggling FC Groningen for four at the Polman Stadion while, with the season’s first instalment of De Klassieker on the horizon, Feyenoord hit PEC Zwolle for three to move within two points of second placed Ajax.

The ninth round of Eredivisie action was brought to a close in Sittard where Fortuna hit fellow newly-promoted side, De Graafschap for three to move three points clear of the drop zone.

Results

PSV Eindhoven 6-0 FC Emmen

Excelsior 2-0 Vitesse Arnhem

SC Heerenveen 0-4 AFC Ajax

FC Utrecht 2-1 AZ Alkmaar

NAC Breda 2-2 Willem II

VVV Venlo 2-0 ADO Den Haag

Heracles Almelo 4-1 FC Groningen

Feyenoord 3-0 PEC Zwolle

Fortuna Sittard 3-1 De Graafschap 

Team of the Week

GK – Justin Bijlow – Feyenoord

DF – Denzel Dumfries – PSV

DF – Angelino – PSV

DF – Branislav Ninaj – Fortuna Sittard

DF – Jurgen Mattheij – Excelsior

MF – Tino Susic – VVV

MF – Gaston Pereiro – PSV

MF – Hakim Ziyech – Ajax

FW – Luuk De Jong – PSV

FW – Lazaros Lamprou – Fortuna Sittard

FW – Hirving Lozano – PSV

Player of the Week

FW – Hirving Lozano – PSV

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With the second international break of the campaign looming large on the horizon, the eighth round of Eredivisie action got underway on Friday evening at the Stadion Galgenwaard where a Simon Gustafson double saw FC Utrecht overcome the challenge of struggling NAC Breda to edge their way into the top ten ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.

Saturday’s action in the top flight of Dutch football began in The Hague where a lone first-half effort from Elson Hooi ultimately proved enough to see ADO Den Haag edge out visiting Groningen.

Elsewhere, PEC Zwolle continued their recent resurgence by seeing off the challenge of Excelsior courtesy of goals from Mike van Duinen and Thomas Lam while reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven put their midweek UEFA Champions League disappointment behind them by hitting VVV Venlo for four to move eight points clear at the top of the standings.

The day’s action was concluded in Doetinchem where Heerenveen edged their way into the top eight after hitting an undermanned De Graafschap for five.

Sunday’s Eredivisie action got underway at De Oude Meerdijk where a 91st-minute effort from Jose Rodriguez earned Fortuna Sittard a late share of the spoils in a six-goal thriller with fellow Eredivisie new boys, FC Emmen.

Elsewhere, previously in-form Heracles saw their five-match winning streak go up in smoke in spectacular fashion as they were hit for four without reply by a rampant Vitesse Arnhem while an 85th-minute equaliser from Fran Sol saw Willem II snatch a late point against visiting Feyenoord.

The eighth round of action was brought to a close at the Johan Cruijff ArenA where buoyed by their impressive performance in Munich in midweek, Ajax hit a hapless AZ Alkmaar for five to end the weekend five points adrift of pacesetting PSV Eindhoven.   

Results

FC Utrecht 2-1 NAC Breda

ADO Den Haag 1-0 FC Groningen

PEC Zwolle 2-0 Excelsior

PSV Eindhoven 4-0 VVV Venlo

De Graafschap 0-5 SC Heerenveen

FC Emmen 3-3 Fortuna Sittard

Vitesse Arnhem 4-0 Heracles Almelo

Willem II 1-1 Feyenoord

AFC Ajax 5-0 AZ Alkmaar

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Following a busy week of KNVB Beker action, the Eredivisie returned with its seventh round of fixtures on Saturday evening at the Abe Lenstra Stadion where Tomáš Necid’s third goal in the Czech’s last two outings in all competitions earned ADO Den Haag a share of the points against Heerenveen while, at the same time, second-half goals from Luuk de Jong and substitute, Donyell Malen helped reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven to a third win on the bounce in all competitions on the road against NAC in Breda.

The day’s action was rounded out with two more fixtures kicking off simultaneously as second-half goals from Kasper Dolberg and Hakim Ziyech saw Ajax warm up tor Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich by taking all three points from their trip to Eredivisie new boys, Fortuna Sittard while a lone Elías Már Ómarsson effort ultimately proved enough to see a short-handed Excelsior send visiting VVV Venlo home empty-handed.

Sunday got underway in Almelo where two goals in the opening seven minutes from first, Brandley Kuwas and then Kristoffer Peterson ultimately proved enough to see in-form Heracles record a fifth-straight win in all competitions, at the expense of visiting FC Emmen.

Elsewhere, a goal from super-sub, Ahmad Mendes Moreira fourteen minutes from time saw struggling FC Groningen climb off the foot of the table after snatching a share of the spoils against an undermanned FC Utrecht while an 88^th minute effort from second-half replacement, Zian Flemming earned PEC Zwolle a late point against AZ Alkmaar and an own goal from the unlucky Fernando Lewis a minute from time saw De Graafschap snatch all three points against nine-man Willem II in Doetinchem.

The weekend was brought to a close at De Kuip where Robin van Persie capped a come-from-behind victory for hosts, Feyenoord with an incredible free-kick three minutes from time to see off a dogged Vitesse Arnhem, who, having seen the former Arsenal and Manchester United man handed his marching orders a minute into added time, would end the game with just nine men when Danilho Doekhi was sent to join the previously dismissed Thomas Bruns four minutes later.

Results

SC Heerenveen 1-1 ADO Den Haag

NAC Breda 0-2 PSV Eindhoven

Fortuna Sittard 0-2 AFC Ajax

Excelsior 1-0 VVV Venlo

Heracles Almelo 2-1 FC Emmen

FC Groningen 1-1 FC Utrecht

AZ Alkmaar 2-2 PEC Zwolle

De Graafschap 2-1 Willem II

Feyenoord 2-1 Vitesse Arnhem

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The sixth round of Eredivisie action got underway on Friday evening at the Polman Stadion where in-form Heracles made it three wins on the bounce by hitting an undermanned De Graafschap for four.

Saturday’s top-flight action got underway in Sittard where a 77th-minute effort from Jose Rodriguez ultimately proved enough to earn Fortuna a share of the spoils in an eight-goal thriller with visiting Willem II.

Elsewhere, VVV Venlo made it back-to-back victories by smashing an undermanned NAC Breda for three while the 92nd-minute effort from substitute, Jizz Hornkamp earned Heerenveen a late share of the spoils in a six-goal thriller with Excelsior at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadion.

Saturday’s Eredivisie action was brought to a close in Arnhem where a 65th-minute effort from Abdenasser El Khayati ultimately proved enough to see ADO Den Haag put last week’s seven-goal humbling at the hands of PSV Eindhoven behind them by bagging a point on the road against ten-man Vitesse.

Sunday’s action in the Dutch top-flight began at De Kuip where a lone Robin van Persie goal three minutes from time saw Feyenoord snatch all three points from under the noses of a dogged FC Utrecht.

Elsewhere, a solitary first-half effort from Rick Dekker ultimately proved just enough to secure PEC Zwolle’s second victory of the campaign, on the road in Emmen while AZ Alkmaar edged their way back into the top five by hitting nine-man Groningen for three.

The weekend was brought to a close at the Philips Stadion where three goals in the space of fourteen first-half minutes saw reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven sweep aside the challenge of title rivals, Ajax in De Topper to move five points clear at the top of the standings.

Results

Heracles Almelo 4-0 De Graafschap

Fortuna Sittard 4-4 Willem II

VVV Venlo 3-0 NAC Breda

Excelsior 3-3 SC Heerenveen

Vitesse Arnhem 1-1 ADO Den Haag

Feyenoord 1-0 FC Utrecht

FC Emmen 0-1 PEC Zwolle

FC Groningen 1-3 AZ Alkmaar

PSV Eindhoven 3-0 AFC Ajax

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With no Friday fixture following the international break, the fifth round of Eredivisie action got underway on Saturday evening with reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven tuning up for their UEFA Champions League encounter with Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Tuesday evening by hitting a hapless ADO Den Haag for seven in The Hague while VVV Venlo withstood a late fightback from hosts, De Graafschap to pick up their second win of the campaign.

Elsewhere, a double from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and a goal from Dušan Tadić saw the second of the Netherlands’ UEFA Champions League hopefuls, Ajax prepare for their meeting with AEK Athens on Wednesday evening by hitting struggling FC Groningen for three at the Johan Cruijff ArenA to move to within two points of pacesetting PSV while two goals in the space of two minutes saw Willem II come from two-down to salvage an unlikely point late on against visiting Excelsior.

Sunday’s Eredivisie action got underway at the AFAS Stadion where a Steven Berghuis effort five minutes before the break ultimately proved enough to earn Feyenoord a point against AZ Alkmaar.

In the day’s other games, a scrambled effort from Branislav Ninaj nine minutes from time ultimately proved the difference as Fortuna Sittard edged out hosts, NAC Breda in a five-goal thriller to post the club’s first victory since returning to the top flight of Dutch football while second-half goals from substitute, Luciano Slagveer, and Glen Bijl saw FC Emmen come from a goal down to post their second victory since achieving Eredivisie status at the expense of an undermanned FC Utrecht.

Meanwhile, Kristoffer Peterson’s second of the afternoon followed by a Mohammed Osman effort two minutes from time eventually put Heracles out of sight in an eight-goal thriller with Heerenveen before the fifth round of Eredivisie action was brought to a close at the MAC³PARK Stadion where a first-half double from Tim Matavž saw Vitesse Arnhem get back to winning ways at the expense of struggling PEC Zwolle.

Results

De Graafschap 1-2 VVV Venlo

ADO Den Haag 0-7 PSV Eindhoven

Willem II 2-2 Excelsior

AFC Ajax 3-0 FC Groningen

AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Feyenoord

SC Heerenveen 3-5 Heracles Almelo

FC Utrecht 1-2 FC Emmen

NAC Breda 2-3 Fortuna Sittard

PEC Zwolle 0-2 Vitesse Arnhem

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The fourth week of action in the Eredivisie got underway on Friday night at De Oude Meerdijk where a late Fabian Serrarens effort two minutes from time earned visiting De Graafschap a late share of the spoils against another newly-promoted side, FC Emmen.

Saturday began in Venlo where a 69^th minute effort from substitute, Patrick Joosten saw hosts, VVV claim a point against visiting Heerenveen.

Elsewhere an incredible four-goal performance from Abdenasser El Khayati helped ADO Den Haag secure a second win in as many games away at Excelsior while reigning Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven made it six wins on the bounce in all competitions by hitting a hapless Willem II for six.

Saturday’s action was brought to a close in Sittard where Andrija Novakovich’s deflected 74^th minute strike ultimately proved sufficient to see newly-promoted Fortuna share the spoils with visitors, FC Utrecht to post just their second point since making their return to the top flight of Dutch football.

Sunday’s Eredivisie action got underway in Groningen where a lone Vito van Crooij effort nineteen minutes into the second half proved just enough to see PEC Zwolle bag their first points of the campaign and move off the foot of the table.

Elsewhere, Ajax followed up securing a place in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League by hitting Vitesse for four without reply in Arnhem while, despite taking a 2^nd minute lead through Myron Boadu, early season pacesetters, AZ Alkmaar ultimately slipped to a first league defeat of the campaign after goals from Mohammed Osman, Kristoffer Peterson and Lerin Duarte sealed a come-from-behind victory for hosts, Heracles in Almelo.

The fourth round of action in the Dutch top flight was brought to a close at De Kuip where Feyenoord edged into third place in the standings by hitting visiting NAC Breda for four to secure their third win in as many games.

Results

FC Emmen 1-1 De Graafschap

VVV Venlo 1-1 SC Heerenveen

PSV Eindhoven 6-1 Willem II

Excelsior 2-4 ADO Den Haag

Fortuna Sittard 1-1 FC Utrecht

Fc Groningen 0-1 PEC Zwolle

Heracles Almelo 3-2 AZ Alkmaar

Vitesse Arnhem 0-4 AFC Ajax

Feyenoord 4-2 NAC Breda

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The second round of action in the Dutch top flight got underway on Friday evening at the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion where a lone goal from Daniel Crowley saw Willem II post their first points of the campaign at the expense of hosts, FC Groningen, who remain without a point and propping up the table after succumbing to successive defeats in the opening two rounds of the season.

Saturday’s Eredivisie action began in Venlo where a late Dusan Tadic spot-kick saw an out-of-sorts Ajax snatch all three points against VVV.

Elsewhere, NAC Breda brought De Graafschap back down to earth by hitting the newly promoted side for three, while a last-minute effort from substitute, Dante Rigo spared reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven’s blushes in Sittard against another of the league’s new boys, Fortuna.

Saturday’s action was rounded out in Almelo where Heracles followed up their impressive display at the Johan Cruijff ArenA last time out by hitting a hapless, ADO Den Haag for four.

Sunday’s action got underway at the Stadion Galgenwaard where first half goals from Joris van Overeem (who was later sent off) and Sean Klaiber saw FC Utrecht post their first points of the campaign at the expense of visiting, PEC Zwolle, who remain pointless.

Elsewhere, AZ Alkmaar ensured they would end the weekend back at the top of the standings by following up last week’s five-goal thrashing of NAC with a four-goal trouncing of top flight debutants, FC Emmen, while Feyenoord put a nightmare week in the rear view by hitting Rotterdam rivals, Excelsior for three at De Kuip.

Week two was brought to a close in Friesland where an 81^st minute effort from Tim Matavz earned another side who saw their European hopes fade in mid-week, Vitesse Arnhem, a late share of the spoils against Heerenveen.

Results: Week 2

FC Groningen 0-1 Willem II

NAC Breda 3-0 De Graafschap

VVV Venlo 0-1 AFC Ajax

Fortuna Sittard 1-2 PSV Eindhoven

Heracles Almelo 4-2 ADO Den Haag

FC Utrecht 2-0 PEC Zwolle

Feyenoord 3-0 Excelsior

FC Emmen 1-4 AZ Alkmaar

SC Heerenveen 1-1 Vitesse Arnhem

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