Eredivisie Review: Ajax thump NAC, Feyenoord back to winning ways

Ajax kept up the pressure on leaders and bitter rivals PSV at the top of the Eredivisie, with a 5-2 win away to NAC Breda.

Despite a spirited start from the hosts, Ajax took the lead inside 27 minutes thanks to Ricardo van Rhijn’s long-range effort, before an unmarked Kolbeinn Sigthorsson doubled his side’s advantage with a side-footed finish two minutes later.

Frank de Boer’s men predictably began to tighten their grip on the game and were three goals to the good just before the break when Sigthorsson raced onto a through ball from Davy Klaassen before applying a cool finish.

Sigthorsson was handed a chance to complete his hat-trick 10 minutes after the break when Lucas Andersen was brought down in the area, but the Icelandic striker missed the spot-kick.

NAC pulled one back on the hour-mark, when a well-worked free-kick found the head of Stipe Perica, before Joel Veltman restored Ajax’s two-goal cushion five minutes later.

Perica cut the lead once more with a powerful finish on 76 minutes, only for Sigthorsson to complete his hat-trick late on.

The result was a third straight win for De Boer’s men, leaving them level on points with leaders PSV.

Feyenoord ended their run of five league games without a win with a convincing 4-0 win away to Go Ahead Eagles, courtesy of goals from Giliano Wijnaldum, Jens Toornstra, Colin Kazim-Richards and Mitchell te Vrede.

The win is sure to ease the pressure on boss Fred Rutten, who saw his side dumped out of the KNVB Cup at the hands of today’s opponents on Wednesday.

An incredible total of 30 goals were scored during an action-packed Saturday, with Vitesse recording a big win after a crushing 6-2 victory away to struggling Dordrecht.

The visitors were ahead inside 12 minutes when Abiola Dauda poked home his fourth goal in as many games, before Denys Oliynyk added a second before half time.

Valeri Kazaishvili and Wallace added two more goals after the break, before Jeffrey Fortes pulled one back for the hosts.

Kazaishvili then restored his side’s four-goal lead on 65 minutes, only for Ryan Koolwijk to respond for the hosts with a curled finish 14 minutes later.

But Kazaishvili completed his hat-trick deep into stoppage time to lift Vitesse up to 12th, while Dordrecht have now gone six games without a win.

Elsewhere, bottom side Heracles remain without a league win following a 4-2 defeat away to PEC Zwolle, who are level on points with PSV and Ajax, while AZ Alkmaar resisted a late fightback to win 3-2 away to ADO Den Haag.