FC Twente held by NEC Nijmegen

The Dutch championship is pratically in the pocket for AZ Alkmaar, as second-placed FC Twente were held to a 1-1 draw at NEC on Friday.

Twente did take the lead through Marko Arnautovic in the 23rd minute but John Goossens equalised with 12 minutes to go.

The home side had Youssef El Akchaoui sent off in the 88th minute.

AZ Alkmaar host ADO Den Haag on Saturday and could extend their lead to 11 points. After this weekend, there will be only five games left to play.

The battle for the second Champions League spot heats up as well as Ajax could reduce the gap with Twente to just one point. The Amsterdam outfit play away to Roda JC on Sunday.