The Eredivisieโs third matchweek served up some fine drama, as favourites prevailed, newly-promoted sides clashed, and seven games threw out 26 goals.
League action got underway on Saturday, as Go Ahead Eagles hosted Sparta Rotterdam, and continued their search for their first three points on the 2025/26 league calendar.
Sparta ground the Eagles, PSV sweep aside Groningen, and promoted sides stay locked together
The pace at De Adelaarshorst was set right from the start, as inside the first three minutes, Mitchell van Bergen forced a save from Jari De Busser before Tobias Lauritsen thought heโd grabbed the lead when a pressing Pelle Clement played him in. However, the Norwegian striker was just offside before powering the ball home.
Although Mathis Suray and Mats Deijl registered half-intent for the hosts, a volleyed Clement stunner into the top-right corner following a Lauritsen touch back took Sparta into the lead in the 36th minute.
Sparta went further ahead after the interval. On 62โฒ, Lauritsen went from provider to scorer, and again, it followed a Go Ahead chance as Joris Kramer headed at Joel Drommel. The visitors built up the pitch well, and the move culminated with Shurandy Sambo pulling a fine pass back from the right of the box for Lauritsen to fire back into the right side.
Several minutes after this, GAE looked to have a way back in from the spot. A diving Joshua Kitolano was penalised for handball as he blocked a Dean James cross. The Norwegianโs blushes were spared, however, when Drommel guessed correctly and saved Deijlโs bottom-left corner penalty.
The hosts were soon ruing their rotten luck again, as Oskar Sivertsen missed an open goal in the 72nd minute after a well-worked Victor Edvardsen ball in. Jacob Breumโs free-kick getting scooped off the line by Drommel was the hostsโ final real chance before the third and final sucker punch arrived. Four minutes from time, Patrick van Aanholt whipped in a fine free-kick delivery from the left for substitute Teo Quintero to side-foot home.
PSV prevailed in an interesting six-goal outing against Groningen. While the visitors from the north didnโt make it easy for the reigning champions, PSV moved into the lead just after the half-hour mark. Ruben van Bommel crossed from the left, and the away side failed to clear. Guus Til initially hit the right post with his effort, yet had enough time to scissor his second floor-bound effort beyond Hidde Jurjus.
Groningen responded well and got themselves right back into the game before the break. Stije Resink found Brynjolfur Willumsson on the left of the area, and the Icelandic cut back into space before curling a peach of an effort into the bottom-right corner for his third goal in as many games.
PSV restored their advantage after half-time and introducing Esmir Bajraktarevic from the bench. His goal in the 46th minute deflected home fortuitously after a Jorg Schreuders touch. Buoyed by this finish, the hosts made it 3-1 not long after as Van Bommel was played down the left wing channel smoothly by Ivan Perisic before slotting home.
Bajraktarevic fired home his second after this on 66โฒ as he latched onto a rebound from Ismael Saibariโs saved shot to crown an excellent personal statement outing. Mats Seuntjens did manage to make the score look a little more respectable late on, as his left-sided free-kick from range crept all the way in, yet that was all she wrote in Eindhoven.
Considering the two defeats from their first two league games and a clash with PSV on the horizon, Telstar looked confident in a dream first-half performance against Volendam. Following considerable pressure, the hosts took the lead with Soufiane Hetliโs first Eredivisie goal and Telstarโs first in the top-flight since November 1978. In the 41st minute, Jochem Ritmeester van de Kamp curled in a low cross from the right, and Hetli met it nicely with a first-time poke past keeper Kayne van Oevelen.
It was a relatively quick one-two from the hosts as Patrick Brouwer tussled away at a Jeff Hardeveld pass from the left in first-half stoppage time. From inside of the box, he struck an effort in off the right post for his first Eredivisie goal since his move from Quick Boys in the Tweede Divisie.
Unfortunately for the hosts, their first three Eredivisie points were to be dropped to one in the second half. This was down to the introduction of Anthony Descotte on the hour. After Netli nearly added a third Telstar goal as he struck the left post, the Charleroi-loanee quickly found a place in Volendam hearts.
Just four minutes after being introduced, the striker turned and shot in the box to find the top-right corner. Then, in the 82nd minute, Descotte had the visitorsโ section in raptures, as he placed a low left-sided effort across goal and into the bottom right to share the points in Volendamโs third consecutive draw.
Twente beat Heerenveen, Utrecht pummel Excelsior, NEC Nijmegen stay top, and Ajax get the better of Heracles Almelo
Heerenveen and Twente kicked off Sundayโs action, as the Rots brothers played significant roles for the victorious visitors to Friesland.
Following a relatively even opening skirmish, Daan Rots opened the scoring in the 12th minute, as he received the ball off of brother Mats who had driven up from left-back. From the right of the box, he set himself on his left nicely and picked out the bottom-left corner, giving Andries Noppert no chance.
Twente defended this lead for much of the rest of the match, yet a flurry of late action nearly changed the tide. First, Naci Unuvar just beat offside to latch onto a rebound from a saved Kristian Hlynsson shot in the 84th minute.
Then, Vaclav Sejk upped the pressure with a 94th-minute header off the left post. However, with emotions flying, the visitors just about squeezed by. Luuk Brouwers was dismissed on the whistle after he deemed referee Dennis Johan Higler to have blown too early instead of giving the hosts a corner.
Utrecht followed this clash and proved to be too strong for Excelsior as the newly-promoted side failed to make the most of their relegation rivals drawing on Saturday. The second-bottom Rotterdam outfit were brushed aside in relatively routine fashion by Utrecht. The Domstedelingen rolled into the lead with Miguel Rodriguezโs precise 27th-minute header from Souffian El Karouaniโs right-sided corner.
El Karouani was a huge presence in this clash, and the creative wing-back notched the second of his three assists as he drove in a perfect low ball for David Min. The striker tucked home accordingly and made it 2-0 in the 46th minute.
In the second half, El Karouaniโs third assist showed a cutting contrast to his crossing ability, as he slid Victor Jensen in inside the penalty area. The Dane took the ball well and lunged in timely fashion to fire past Calvin Raatsie. Jensen had his brace less than 10 minutes later as a fast move was capped with the midfielder sweeping home an Adrian Blake cut-back. Excelsior did find a consolation goal, but it was all too late. In the 83rd minute, Brighton loanee Do-Young Yoon fired in from a rebounded Zach Booth long shot.
NEC Nijmegen faced NAC Breda on Sunday afternoon, and continued their reign as the early-season league leaders. The game began in contentious fashion. A pressing Tjaronn Chery was brought down by a blind-sided Rio Hillen just five minutes in. Chery converted the penalty after VAR input gave the spot-kick.
After this, the lead was doubled by a bit of magic early in the second half. Calvin Verdonk played a routine pass out to Basar Unal in the 47th minute, and the left-wing back did the rest to score brilliantly. He picked up the ball, darted to the byline and opened his body to somehow find the bottom-right corner with accuracy.
While the hosts failed to recapture their Lewis Holtby-powered class from last time out, NEC practically walked the ball in with the third goal from Vito van Crooij. A fine slide-rule pass from Chery unleashed Virgil Misidjan, and he squared from the right for Van Crooij to tap in routinely.
The matchweekโs final game saw Ajax keep Heracles Almelo rooted to the bottom of the Eredivisie table with a 2-0 win in Amsterdam. The hosts came into this game in somewhat grim circumstances after a young woman was tragically murdered near the clubโs training ground. Following a lovely moment of remembrance, Ajax steadily honoured the deceased with a goal in each half.
In the 31st minute, Oscar Gloukh nearly scored after a fine one-two with Kenneth Taylor as he ghosted into the box from the left. However, his shot was blocked before Steven Berghuis smacked the ball beyond a scrambling Fabian de Keijzer.
Around the hour, Heracles were lucky to see Djevencio van der Kust survive a last-man challenge on Raul Moro. However, this lack of a dismissal didnโt reinvigorate the visitors, and they ultimately fell to the one-way traffic late on as Wout Weghorst made it 2-0. Davy Klaassen was fed down the right, and he squared for Weghorst to wrestle off his marker and power high past De Keijzer in the 87th minute.
League table after Matchweek 3
Top goalscorers after Matchweek 3
FotMob Team of the Week
GBeNeFNย |ย Max Bradfield
