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  • Wednesday, 7 April 2010

    Status quo still intact: Eredivisie reviews

    The Eredivisie is still FC Twente's to lose. The top three just keep rolling along and little has changed on the table since our last round-up. We'll have a quick look back at rounds 29 and 30 as we catch up following a busy period.

    NAC 3-0 Den Haag
    AZ 3-2 Heracles
    Roda 4-2 Heerenveen
    Vitesse 2-1 Willem II
    Twente 3-0 Sparta
    NEC 0-0 Feyenoord
    Ajax 3-0 Groningen
    Utrecht 2-0 Waalwijk
    VVV Venlo 2-4 PSV
    Feyenoord 2-1 Vitesse

    Bryan Ruiz hit a four-minute hat-trick as Twente saw off Sparta. After his first, Milano Koenders was sent off and the Costa Rican Ruiz converted the penalty for number two. And the hat-trick, his first in Dutch football, was complete seconds later. Ajax maintained the gap at four points with a comfortable win over Groningen, Jan Vertoghen thumping in two towering headers and the prolific Siem de Jong on target, while PSV kept the pressure on by sticking four past VVV Venlo. Otman Bakkal, the second from a stupidly tight angle. Feyenoord are in danger of losing their long-held fourth place after being held by NEC while AZ beat Heracles thanks to a Jeremain Lens hat-trick. Waalwijk are all but down after defeat to Utrecht and it's two from three for the play-off spots. NEC are still in bother, as are Willem II, Den Haag and Sparta.

    VVV Venlo 0-2 Twente
    AZ 2-0 Utrecht
    Roda 5-1 Waalwijk
    Vitesse 3-0 Groningen
    Heerenveen 4-1 Sparta
    Den Haag 0-1 Ajax
    Feyenoord 0-0 NAC
    Heracles 2-0 NEC
    Willem II 0-1 PSV

    Ruiz was on target again for Twente, grabbing a late second after Blaise N'Kufo set them on the way to a win over VVV. Ajax weren't so good this week, scoring just the one in a below-par performance in Den Haag. Only after Barry Ditewig was sent off did Ajax look likely and Toby Alderweireld snatched the win seconds from time. PSV weren't on song either, but a late Balázs Dzsudzsák penalty helped them beat Willem II. Feyenoord dropped more points despite winning their game in hand against Vitesse thanks to a goalless draw against NAC, allowing AZ - 2-0 winners over Utrecht - to close in further, the gap back to just two points. Roda hammered five more nails into Waalwijk's coffin - they've been truly awful this season - while NEC - beaten by two late Samuel Armenteros goals in Almelo - and Sparta - hammered by ten-man Heerenveen - are also in the mire along with Den Haag.

    Elsewhere, it much of a muchness. Heracles and Utrecht swapped positions as a result of the round 30 games, but that's the only change in position on the table in two weeks.

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