With Ajax six points ahead of reigning champions PSV in the Eredivisie standings, the league leaders were due to play in the lion’s den during round 27.
PSV had regained some long-lost confidence after booking two consecutive Eredivisie wins for the first time since early December, beating sc Heerenveen (2-1) and RKC Waalwijk (3-0) prior to meeting Ajax in their own Philips Stadion in Eindhoven.
Ajax, meanwhile, drew 2-2 to AZ before the international break after losing both Europa League round of 16 legs to Eintracht Frankfurt. The draw to AZ meant Ajax’s lead got reduced from 8 to 6 points, making last week’s clash with PSV the most important in years.
During the press conferences before the match, PSV manager called it PSV’s “duty” to win, whereas Ajax boss Francesco Farioli said the pressure was “definitely not on Ajax.”
Opta confirmed Bosz’s thoughts, giving PSV just a 1% chance of winning the title after a loss to Ajax. A draw would give PSV a 13% chance, whereas a win would give PSV a 33% chance to win a second consecutive Eredivisie title.
Promising to attack Farioli’s defensive style of play with an attacking, attractive plan, Peter Bosz leaned Luuk de Jong as his lone striker after Lucas Perez contracted tuberculosis earlier in the week. There have been worse strikers to lean on against Ajax, as De Jong had scored in his eight previous meetings with the record champions.
On the other side, Farioli had to do without Danish right-back Anton Gaaei after his red card against AZ. Brazilian Lucas Rosa, who joined Ajax in January from LaLiga side Real Valladolid, therefore got his first Eredivisie start.
In a bid to complete a league double over Feyenoord and PSV for just the second time this century, Farioli’s plan became visible to all soon after kick-off.
A cagey and physical first 15 minutes had Ajax display a rigid defensive structure, not giving PSV any space or time to play through the defensive line. Captained by Jordan Henderson, who made his Three Lions return during the past international break, Ajax held PSV to a mere 5 first-half shots.
After roughly 30 minutes, the man Ajax call ‘Mister 1-0’ opened the scoring – Davy Klaassen stood on the receiving end of a Lucas Rosa header and craftily finished the chance with a half-volley out of a turn. The goal, his 82nd in the Eredivisie, would get Klaassen closer to Ajax history as it moved the midfielder up to second in the club’s Eredivisie top goalscorers list in the 21st century – he overtook Luis Suarez and only has Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (121) in front of him.
A toothless PSV came storming out of the break and put Ajax under more pressure inside the first 15 minutes of the second half than in all of the first. Their 7 shots would scare the traveling away support, but would not earn PSV a goal.
Former Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Villarreal winger Bertrand Traore did. Five minutes after coming on for Steven Berghuis, Traore stood on the receiving end of a booming kick from goalkeeper Matheus, outplayed Manchester United loanee Tyrell Malacia, and slotted the ball from distance into the left-hand corner.
A sense of defeat took control over PSV, who wouldn’t threaten Ajax for the lead at any moment after the visitors doubled their lead.
After Ajax sealed a vital 2-0 win and the players and staff celebrated a win which could well have earned them a 37th Eredivisie title, PSV captain Luuk de Jong confirmed PSV’s defeated feeling with some damning words: “We have to focus on second place.
“Nine points are too much. I think it has never happened before that a team gets overtaken with so few games. We don’t assume that either. We must focus on second place and reaching the Champions League immediately.”
Fellow forward Noa Lang and manager Peter Bosz echoed De Jong’s resignation. “We lost to Ajax twice, and now the championship is done. Apparently, we couldn’t handle the pressure. That is the reality,” Lang said before his manager did the same: “Things will have to go very crazy. What is it? Seven games, nine points. That’s usually out of reach.”
But even though Ajax are closer to the title than ever, Francesco Farioli stayed true to his apprehensive stance towards any title talk. “There are still 21 points left to earn,” the Italian gaffer simply said.
Farioli and fans will be more than positive about Lucas Rosa’s full Eredivisie debut. Since his €3 million from Real Valladolid in January, Rosa has played an average of just 27 minutes per game due to the rise of Anton Gaaei. The Brazilian made a shaky impression, especially during Ajax’s game away at Eintracht Frankfurt.
But against PSV, in Ajax’s biggest game of the season, the full-back stood out and led the team in touches (61), chances created (2), duels won (8), tackles (4), won tackles (2), and interceptions (2), and ranked second in possessions won (4) and aerial duels won (2).
Just seven games stand in the way of Ajax and their 37th league title, whilst PSV look more lost than ever. Their tally of 13 points from the first 10 games after the winter break is the lowest since 1960, and the team which won 14 of the first 15 league games are now looking to conclude the season without a trophy for the first time since 2019.
The loss means PSV will have to shift their attention, as De Jong said, to securing a second-place finish, especially after Feyenoord continued charging forward with a win over impressive Go Ahead Eagles.
Two weeks after their 6-2 win over FC Twente, Robin van Persie and his side were due to face the next challenging opponent. KNVB Cup finalists Go Ahead Eagles are firmly in seventh place and were looking to get equal on points with their opponents from Rotterdam, but Van Persie’s Feyenoord proved to be a formidable opponent.
A penalty from former Brighton man Jakub Moder put the home team in front after 33 minutes, but Victor Edvardsen would even things out again on the brink of halftime. A flashy combination with Milan Smit put Edvardsen in a prime position to get his team back in the race.
After Anis Hadj Moussa put Feyenoord back in front in the 57th minute, the visitors would not wait long before striking back with Oliver Antman capping off a high-class team attack. But, as so often happens this season, no Feyenoord win would be complete without Igor Paixao contributing to it. With 15 minutes to go, the Brazilian received the ball just outside Go Ahead Eagles’ box and took it upon himself to fire his side back in front with a precise strike in the far corner.
The win – Van Persie’s first in De Kuip as manager – put Feyenoord officially out of immediate reach of FC Twente and AZ, and could see Feyenoord put the pressure on PSV with a win against FC Groningen on Wednesday.
But before they can attack PSV, they’ll have to pass third-placed FC Utrecht. Ron Jans’ side recovered from the loss to NEC two weeks prior and beat sc Heerenveen 2-0 on Robin Veldman’s debut as manager in the Eredivisie.
A 22nd-minute goal from Spaniard Miguel Rodriguez put Utrecht in front in a tricky first half, but would ultimately be the first of Utrecht’s two goals as Norwegian defender Nikolai Hopland accidentally put the goal in his own net and determined the final score at 2-0.
Utrecht will have to put up a great fight to retain their third place, one which would give them a ticket for the Champions League qualifiers
The team from the Domstad were helped in their quest for European football by a faltering AZ, which gave up a 3-1 lead away at NEC and drew 3-3 thanks to a Vito van Crooij double.
The visitors would get an early head start when Ibrahim Sadiq opened the scoring after just four minutes, but Vito van Crooij would score his first of two goals just six minutes later to even things out again.
A clinical duo would hit NEC next, and double as hard. Troy Parrott served Ernest Poku the ball on their own, after which the Ghanaian-Dutch winger raced to the opposite goal and capped off a brilliant solo effort with a thunderous strike. Poku then returned the favour shortly after halftime, feeding Parrott a ball which the Irishman clinically finished with his one and only touch.
With half an hour left, NEC refused to back down out of a fight which could be crucial in their fight for a spot in the playoffs for European football. Substitute Kento Shiogai would bring NEC back to within one with a header from close range, before Vito van Crooij completed his double with a precise finish in the far corner.
Van Crooij has proven to be crucial for NEC ever since his mid-season arrival in October, scoring 9 goals and assisting a further 5 in his 20 league games for the Nijmegen team. Meanwhile, AZ failed to win a league game for the third time in a row and have now lost sight of FC Utrecht and Feyenoord.
Another team which lost sight of the top 4 were FC Twente. The ‘Tukkers’ met Heracles Almelo in the Derby of Twente, a fixture fifth-placed Twente hadn’t lost since 2019. The relegation-fighting home side would prove their worth in today’s Eredivisie landscape once again and booked a first derby victory in five years, largely thanks to a Jizz Hornkamp double.
The 27-year-old started his day with a handy finish after a mistake from Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall in the ninth minute before powerfully heading in his second goal a mere 70 minutes later. Unable to threaten Heracles much whatsoever, Twente pulled one back in the 90th minute through Sayfallah Ltaief, but ultimately had to concede to their brothers from Almelo.
Twente have now won just one of their last four Eredivisie games and are now six points behind third-placed FC Utrecht. Heracles, however, continue impressing in 2025 and have firmly put themselves in the mix for a playoff ticket.
The packed midfield stayed close over the past weekend and still counts a staggering eight teams fighting for the eighth spot in the standings. Just four points divide number 8 FC Groningen and number 15 Sparta Rotterdam, who continued their impressive run of form with a solid 3-0 win over Fortuna Sittard.
Under former Ajax manager Maurice Steijn, Sparta have found a spectacular way upward with just two losses in all of 2025. A Shunsuke Mito double and a pearler from Gjivai Zechiel sealed the deal down in Limburg and earned Sparta their first win in nearly a month. More importantly, the win meant Sparta are now four points clear of 16th-placed Willem II.
The formation from Tilburg suffered a painful 2-0 home defeat at the hands of last-placed Almere City this past weekend. Charles-Andreas Brym and Marvin Martins accounted for the two Almere goals, whereas Willem II’s own Kyan Vaesen took his spot under the spotlights with a costly red card after 32 minutes.
A devastating form has seen Willem II lose eight of their last 10 Eredivisie games, including the past five.
Elsewhere, FC Groningen took over the eighth spot from Fortuna Sittard with a draw in Breda. Home side NAC salvaged a point deep in injury time when Clint Leemans converted from the spot in the 98th minute. Earlier, local boy Mats Seuntjes had put FC Groningen in front with a spot-kick of his own.
PEC Zwolle, just like Sparta, managed to create some breathing room with a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened RKC Waalwijk. Top scorer Dylan Vente opened the scoring in the 74th minute from the spot, before Filip Krastev doubled the home side’s lead with a superb strike in the 83rd minute.
Unless a miracle unfolds before our eyes, Ajax are primed to reclaim their spot at the top of the Eredivisie mountain. The fights in the top 4 and for the European playoffs therefore seem to be the ones to focus on with just seven games remaining.
Winners of the Week
You beat your title rivals 2-0 in their own backyard, you hardly give away any big chances, and you put one hand on the trophy? Seems a recipe for this week’s Winners of the Week.
Ajax put on a clinic in Eindhoven with a top outing on both ends of the ball. The game – and this season – will put Europe on notice. Perhaps for Ajax’s worse, as manager Francesco Farioli will likely be a top candidate to take over at some noteworthy European teams.
However, Ajax director of football Marijn Beuker comforted fans and disappointed possible suitors during ESPN’s ‘Goedemorgen Eredivisie’ show on Sunday morning. “Francesco still has an ongoing contract, and I believe that both with players and coaches, you always try to keep the group together, because the stability of the selection is a key predictor of success,” said Beuker, adding that the chances of Farioli staying in Amsterdam are “big.”
Losers of the Week
Only one team remained winless after last weekend: Willem II. The team from North Brabant have been on a terrible streak, and last weekend’s loss to last-placed Almere City was the rotten cherry on top of a spoiled cake.
There was no cohesion on the pitch, no creativity, and a resigned tactic of pointlessly and endlessly crossing the ball with ten men on the pitch—it all led to a devastating loss for the once-impressive promoted side.
The loss and consequent backlash prompted the club to put out a statement titled ‘We for you, you for us,’ which showed the club sympathising with the disappointed fanbase. “Last Saturday was a painful night for anyone with a red-white-blue heart. It hurt,” said the club to begin with.
“Whereas before the winter break we collected a lot of points, we are now in a phase where the headwinds are harsh and disappointments are piling up. That affects us all. Supporters, sponsors, staff, players and employees.
“But Willem II are not a club that drops out in the face of adversity. On the contrary. In times of sporting difficulty, we believe in the power of friendship. When we are united in Tilburg, special forces are released. On the way to the finish line, we cannot lose each other – we need each other desperately. When the going gets tough, we all feel the emotion. But in Tilburg, we put our shoulders to the wheel again afterwards.
“Survival has been the goal from round one, and it will remain that way until the very last minute. We believe in our common goal with passion, fight, and a lion’s courage. That is why we join forces with all those who love and represent Willem II.
“On Friday, nearly 800 supporters will travel to the north of the country. And thousands will follow the actions of our Tricolores from Tilburg. We have massive and unconditional support, both on and off the pitch.
“We for you, you for us.”
Goal of the Week
FC Barcelona have made tiki-taka football famous under Pep Guardiola, but Deventer-based Go Ahead Eagles impressed with their version of the free-flowing style of football with their own bald genius.
Paul Simonis and his team have impressed mightily over the past two seasons and did so once more away at Feyenoord. Oliver Antman concluded a perfectly executed attack to put his team back alongside the home side. Chef’s kiss.
Team of the Week
Last weekend’s top XI sees four teams share the top spot in terms of contributors.
PEC Zwolle lead the line with this week’s top performer in winger Filip Krastev, who decided the game with a beautiful curling effort as well as 11 won duels, 26 passes in the final third, and 3 won tackles – all team-highs. Teammate Simon Graves joins him in the Top XI after his 14 clearances, 91 touches, 66 passes, and 4 won aerial duels.
League leaders Ajax deliver two players as well. Lucas Rosa played a great full Eredivisie debut, while fellow countryman Matheus helped Ajax to a win with an assist. Sparta Rotterdam are the other team with two players in the Top XI – Shunsuke Mito helped his team clinch a win with two goals, whereas Gjivai Zechiel accounted for the only other goal.
NAC Breda’s Clint Leemans earned his team a point with a 98th-minute penalty, but also created 2 chances and accounted for all 3 of his team’s shots on goal. Leemans is joined by teammate Enes Mahmutovic after his 4 clearances, 1 created chance, 3 won aerials duels, 7 won duels, and 5 possessions won.
Heracles’ Jizz Hornkamp leads the line after his two-goal performance against local rivals FC Twente. Ibrahim Sadiq completes the forward trio after the Ghanaian’s goal and contributions on both sides of the ball.
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