Probably the biggest game of the season this past weekend in the Eredivisie, and it was FC Twente that came out on top as they beat long time league leaders PSV to go first with just five games to go. Other highlights came in a nine-goal thriller, and also Ajax keeping themselves in with a chance of the title.
FC Twente came out 2-0 winners against title rivals PSV last Saturday at De Grolsch Veste, returning to the top of the Eredivisie table for the first time since late November. This resulted in a giant leap forward to making it back-to-back championships, as they now have a two point lead with just five games left to play.
And it was no easy task, both sides creating great chances throughout the game, but it took until the 64th minute for the deadlock to be broken when Twente were awarded a penalty and Theo Janssen converted. This gave the hosts the boost they needed and Janssen capped off the win with a magnificent solo effort, taking it round three of the PSV defence and lobbing Andreas Isaksson to make it 2-0 and to wrap up a massive three points for his side, now leaving them in the driving seat and PSV with ground to make up.
Willem II Tilburg have been known for their thrilling games in recent weeks, despite their lowly table position, but this was amazing even for them as they lost 5-4 to visiting Roda. Shockingly it was only 1-0 at the break, an Andreas Lasnik penalty putting the home side ahead, leaving eight goals for the second half.
Pa-Modou Kah scored the first as he levelled the affair, only for Bart Biemens to put Willem back in the lead after a great run. But it was three goals in thirteen minutes for Roda that was the undoing of the home side, goals from Morten Skoubo, Ruud Vormer and Davy De Fauw putting Roda 4-2 up.
Lasnik then scored ten minutes from time to make it 4-3, only for Vormer to score his second of the night and restore Roda's two goal lead. There was still just enough time for a dramatic injury time goal from Maeco Rigters, but it wasn't enough at it ended 5-4 to Roda who remain 7th.
Alkmaar are still clinging onto fourth after they beat Feyenoord 1-0. Charlison Benshop scored the only goal of the game just before half time, and after Gill Swerts was sent off for a challenge that saw Maarten Martens have to leave the field on a stretcher, Feyenoord never looked like equalising.
NAC Breda were 3-1 winners in their mid-table clash with Graafschap. Leonardo put Breda a goal to the good after 29 minutes, and it wasn't until the 74th that Graafschap found their equaliser through Yuri Rose. It was short lived however as Anthony Lurling restored the lead five minutes later, and the Doetinchem side were beaten when Rogier Meijer was dismissed and Donny Gorter made it 3-1 from the spot. Graafschap were reduced to nine and gave away another penalty late on (Leon Broekhof the culprit), but Gorter failed to score a second.
Excelsior produced a stunning comeback in Heernveen to win 3-2 and boost their chances of beating the drop. Heerenveen took an early lead when Michel Breuer nodded home with just two minutes gone. And they doubled that lead on the half hour mark when Bas Dost made it 2-0.
It looked like it would be plain sailing for the hosts from then on, but fourteen minutes from time Excelsior rallied and started their comeback. Geert Arend Roorda scored to goals in two minutes to level things up, and things went from bad to worse for Heerenveen as they were reduced to ten when Christian Grindheim saw red. And it was substitute teenager Nayib Lagouireh who struck the final blow, making it 3-2 in time added on.
Ajax beat Heracles 3-0 on Sunday to keep their title aspirations alive; the Amsterdam side are now five points adrift of top spot. The win also takes focus away from the fact that the club's entire board of directors walked out this week after falling out with Johan Cruyff. Second half goals from Olegeur, Siem De Jong and Aras Özbiliz ensured Ajax got all three points in front of a packed Amsterdam ArenA.
Meanwhile, Groningen kept themselves within the chase for a European place after beating VVV Venlo 3-2. Dusan Tadić and Andreas Granqvist put Groningen 2-0 ahead within 22 minutes, and Nicklas Pedersen quickly cancelled out a Dario Vujicevic goal for Venlo as the sides went in 3-1 at the break. Robert Cullen scored the only goal of the second half just before the hour mark to make it 3-2, but that's how it remained, leaving Venlo fifteen points adrift of safety!
ADO Den Haag are also chasing that fourth European place and remain a point away in 5th after the beat Utrecht 3-2. And it was Utrecht who struck first as Edouard Duplan made it 1-0, but Charlton Vicento made it 1-1 six minutes later. Aleksandar Radosavljevič scored in the 63rd minute to put ADO 2-1 up, and Dmitry Bulykin scored from the spot to make it three and eighteen for his own season's tally. Kevin Stoorman scored a second for Utrecht but ADO held on despite Vicento's dismissal late on.
Finally, Vitesse came out 2-1 winners when they played host to NEC Nijmegen on Sunday. Bonno Wilfried fired Vitesse ahead in the 12th minute, and John Goossens made it 1-1 with 66 minutes gone. But it was Vitesse who would have the last say as Marcus Pedersen's header ten minutes from time earned them all three points.