Roda 0-1 Willem II
Vitesse 1-0 Heracles
PSV 1-1 NEC
Twente 3-0 AZ
Sparta 4-0 Ajax
NAC 0-1 De Graafschap
Utrecht 2-2 Feyenoord
Volendam 0-1 Groningen
Heerenveen 2-2 Den Haag
Twente secured second in the table and probably their best ever finish with a hugely impressive display against the champions. AZ have put the cue well and truly in the rack since clinching the championship, but are without several key players - Didulica, El Hamdaoui, Schaars, to name but three - and lost Gil Swerts to a harsh red card here. They were already 2-0 down by then as Kenneth Perez fired in a sumptuous free-kick and Peter Wisgerhof pounced at the far post from a set piece before Swerts was shown a straight red for sliding in on Eljero Elia with studs showing. Elia wrapped things up with a third, making Sergio Romero look very silly indeed. That was enough for second place as Ajax crumbled in Rotterdam, going down 4-0 to lowly Sparta. Ajax were never at the races and were two down at the break, Edouard Duplan firing in from a tight angle after springing the offside trap and Yuri Rose stabbing home a ball parried by Kenneth Vermeer who couldn't hold onto a wickedly deflected shot. Ajax's game fell apart. Luis Suarez - never a man to stay on his feet if not necessary - was booked for an outrageous dive before Oleguer was sent off for a foul on Duplan. Last man back, the former Barcelona defender could have few complaints. Joshua John's long range strike was turned past Vermeer by an outstretched Rob Wielaert leg and Dele Adeyele rounded off a bit of a tubbing with a looping back post header in the last minute. Despite the board publicly backing him, Marco van Basten's tenure at the club looks shaky.
All change at the bottom where a last minute goal for De Graafschap's Ousama Assaidi against NAC - the last kick of the game - shook it all up. They remain third from bottom, in the relegation play-offs alongside Volendam who were beaten by a single goal, also in the last minute, against Groningen. Volendam keeper Jeroen Verhoven had performed heroics to keep his side in it, but Groningen worked a clever free-kick routine deep into stoppage time and Verhoven could only parry Tim Matavz's shot back to him and he tucked it away. Cruel luck on Verhoven. That means that Roda assume the automatic relegation place after they too lost by a stoppage time winner at home to Willem II. The Tilburgers pounded the Roda goal but couldn't find a way through until a very fortunate goal snatched the win, Niels Vorthoren way offside when taking the pass from which he scored.
PSV finished with nine men in drawing at home to NEC. Danko Lazovic put the Eindhoveners ahead early in the second half, converting a penalty for a foul on him minutes before being dismissed, picking up a second yellow for a needless and mindless handball. With eight minutes remaining, Edison Mendez joined him in being sent off for a wild lunge. The nine men couldn't hold out and Tim Janssen got an equaliser in the last minute. That leaves the second automatic spot for the Europa League open with PSV two points ahead of Heerenveen who came from two down to draw with Den Haag. Csaba Horvath's powerful header put ADO in front and some calamitous defending allowed Lex Immers to make it two before half time. Heerenveen thought they were back in it when a clumsy foul on Paulo Henriques gave away a penalty, but the normally reliable Danijel Pranjic missed. They were back in it moments later when Henriques swept in a neat pass at the back post and Kristian Bak Nielsen levelled it up three minutes from time with a nice near post header.
Heracles remain in trouble, just two points off the bottom three after defeat at home to Vitesse, Lasse Nilsson with a late goal and Utrecht were held at home by Feyenoord who twice came from behind. Tom Caluwé missed a penalty early but atoned a couple of minutes later with a thunderbolt for the opener. Jon Dahl Tomasson equalised from six yards out. Sander Keller restored the advantage midway through the second half but Georgino Wijnaldum made Utrecht pay for slack defending, heading home from four yards out with no defenders for company. Feyenoord may yet make it to the Europa League, but make no mistake about it; Mario Been has a massive rebuilding job to do there.
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