Eredivisie wrap: Draw costs Twente lead

Twente let slip a chance to overtake PSV Eindhoven on top of the Eredivisie table, while Groningen smashed hapless Willem on Sunday.

Twente had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Utrecht after Nacer Chadli erased Leon de Kogel’s opening goal for the hosts.

The reigning Dutch champions, who came into Sunday’s clash at the Stadion Galgenwaard on the back of three straight victories, were on the back foot early as De Kogel found the net in the 38th minute.

It was the 19-year-old attacker’s first-ever goal in the Dutch league in just his sixth appearance, though it owed much to the good work of Ghanaian midfielder Nana Asare.

Asare stripped the ball from Twente defender Peter Wisgerhof on the right flank, charged into the area and slid the ball across to De Kogel for the easy goal.

But Chadli spared Twente’s blushes with an equaliser five minutes after the restart, the Belgian playmaker capping off Luuk de Jong’s run down the left wing with a low strike inside the far post.

The point sees Twente join league leaders PSV on 47 points, though they remain second on the table with their inferior goal difference.

Elsewhere, Groningen enjoyed a day against the visiting Willem, thumping the bottom-placed side 7-1.

Prolific Slovakian attacker Tim Matavz nabbed a hat-trick to jump to second on the goal-scorers’ table with 15 for the season, and Andreas Granqvist, Fredrik Stenman, Thomas Enevoldsen and Dusan Tadic also got on the scoresheet in the rout.

Granqvist was sent off in the 51st minute for a foul in the penalty area that produced Willem’s only goal, scored from the spot by Andreas Lasnik.

But the visitors found themselves down to nine men after the hour as Arjan Swinkels saw red and Gerrit Pressel earned a second caution, allowing Groningen to rush in four late goals.

Also on Sunday, Heracles stunned the free-falling Roda JC with a 1-0 win at home.

Willy Overtoom put Heracles ahead eight minutes after the restart, and the hosts held on despite losing Tim Breukers to a second caution in the 66th minute.

Roda, who have lost three of their past four, drop to seventh on the table.

Finally, Feyenoord fought out a 1-1 draw at fellow relegation battlers Vitesse, with Ismail Aissati’s penalty goal cancelling out Luc Castaignos’ opening strike for the visitors.