Lutsharel Geertruida opens the scoring for Feyenoord at Heerenveen. Photo: ANP/Olaf Kraak
Feyenoord stay two points clear of AZ at the top of the Eredivisie following a hard-fought victory at Heerenveen on a weekend when the top five teams all won.
The Frisians looked to have taken the lead after 16 minutes when Pawel Bochniewicz tapped in from close range, but the VAR panel spotted Ché Nunnely standing marginally onside.
Feyenoord went ahead shortly afterwards when Lutsharel Geertruida turned in a corner and added a second before half-time when Santiago Giménez made space for himself in the penalty area and fired the ball into the top corner.
Heerenveen earned some consolation midway through a drab second half when substitute Syb van Otterle’s half-volley fizzed past the otherwise untested Timon Wellenreuther.
AZ enjoyed a brief spell at the top after cruising to a 5-0 win against Excelsior on Friday evening, with all the goals coming in the first half. New signing Sven Mijnans scored twice but the pick of the strikes was Jesper Karlsson’s scissor kick from Mijnans’s cross.
Ajax comeback
Third-placed Ajax overcame an early shock when Mats Seuntjens put RKC ahead after 17 minutes in the Johan Cruyff Arena with a precise low shot. The champions raised their game in the second half as goals from Brian Brobbey, Jurriën Timber and Mohamed Kudus secured their first home win since October.
PSV went one better than AZ against bottom side Groningen, with goals from six different players including new signing Fábio Silva, but the standout moment was Xavi Simons’s turn and shot at the start of the second half to make the score 2-0.
FC Twente’s first win in four matches kept them in contention as they wrapped up a 3-0 win against Volendam in the first 20 minutes with goals from Joshua Brenet, Václav Cerny and Robin Pröpper.
Sixth-placed Sparta also ended a run of three draws as an early goal by Vito van Crooij, profiting from some slack defending, and Tobias Lauritsen’s powerful header in the second half were enough to see off Go Ahead Eagles.
Fortuna rising
Fortuna Sittard moved into the top half of the table with a 1-0 win at Emmen. The decisive goal was scored by Turkish international Oguzhan Özyakup in a match in which Fortuna promoted the Giro 555 appeal for victims of last week’s earthquake.
Vitesse extended their unbeaten streak to four matches by beating Utrecht 2-0, despite being reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Carlens Arcus early in the second half, thanks to a fine solo effort by Million Manhoef and a late breakaway by Maximilian Wittek.
At the bottom of the table, Cambuur edged ahead of Groningen on goal difference after drawing 0-0 at NEC.
In the draw for the quarter-finals of the KNVB Beker, the only amateur side left in the competition, FC Spakenburg, have been handed a trip to Utrecht, while Heerenveen v Feyenoord is the only all-Eredivisie tie.
Ajax will travel to Doetinchem to take on De Graafschap while PSV host ADO Den Haag in the Philips Stadium. The matches will be played between February 28 and March 2.
Results
Friday
AZ Alkmaar 5-0 Excelsior
Saturday
Emmen 0-1 Fortuna Sittard
NEC Nijmegen 0-0 Cambuur Leeuwarden
PSV Eindhoven 6-0 Groningen
Sunday
Ajax 3-1 RKC Waalwijk
Heerenveen 1-2 Feyenoord
Sparta 2-1 Go Ahead Eagles
Twente Enschede 3-0 Volendam
Vitesse Arnhem 2-0 Utrecht
Dutch Cup quarter-final draw
De Graafschap v Ajax
Heerenveen v Feyenoord
PSV Eindhoven v ADO Den Haag
Utrecht v Spakenburg
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