Eredivisie Review: Matchweek 4 | OneFootball

The Eredivisie’s fourth matchweek has come and gone. With goals, drama, and some big surprises, read this belated review as we go back through the action, giving you this week’s winners and losers in the process.

Friday fun: Glowing Groningen put four past sorry Heracles as their bleak start continues

The Euroborg Stadion only had to wait 10 minutes for the opener, as Brynjólfur Willumsson continued his electric early-season form on Friday evening. Stije Resink pinged a ball forward, Marco Rente eventually knocked it down, and Willumsson powered a sharp volley into the top-right corner.

Goal number two arrived on the half-hour mark. Etienne Vaessen was able to play out from the back, and a gradual move up the field culminated with Twente loanee Younes Taha firing in a beautiful long-range effort past a rooted Fabian de Keijzer.

Taha turned provider for the next Groningen goal. He was played in behind on the right before squaring the ball for Willumsson to sweep home his fifth of the campaign just before the interval. The fourth and final effort came right at the end of another encouraging half for the hosts. Substitute Oskar Zawada was very unlucky to see his half-volley strike the right post. However, David van der Werff was in the right place at the right time to pass in the rebound.

Saturday surprises: Ajax, and Twente punished by the newly-promoted sides. PSV beaten by Telstar!

Ajax’s slightly inconsistent start to the season continued this week, as they drew 1-1 away to Volendam. The Volendammers chalked up their four win of four, and head into the international break comfortably mid-table.

They stunned their visitors with a piece of Henk Veerman magic in the 16th minute. The ball dropped from a long pass, and the experienced forward thundered a truly ridiculous effort into the top-left corner from 25 yards out.

The Amsterdam side did get back into the game with Ko Itakura’s close-range finish from a Wout Weghorst flicked header. Yet, with two draws in their opening four fixtures, John Heitinga’s side will be hoping for better showings after the international fixtures.

Go Ahead Eagles touched down in Friesland and got off to a lightning-fast start against Heerenveen. Melle Meulensteen grabbed his second goal of the Eredivisie campaign inside the first two minutes, as he met a Jacob Breun corner from the right to volley home smartly. Heerenveen weren’t too dispondent after this, however, as Nikolai Hopland restored parity in first-half stoppage time with a close-range poke.

The hosts soon hit the front after the restart, as the visitors struggled to get a proper foot in on a quick move. Vasilios Zagaritis ended up crossing well from the left, before Jacob Trenskow slammed home from a tight angle at the right post. Heerenveen couldn’t hang on to their slender margin though, as Go Ahead kept with their love for occasional late antics. The last of a flurry of pressure saw Victor Edvardsen force a save from Andries Noppert. However, Finn Stokkers of all people was there to emphatically slide in the rebound off the bar for 2-2 in the 91st minute.

PSV likely set up for a routine day against newly-promoted Telstar on Saturday. However, the visitors from Velsen-Zuid had other ideas and pulled off a huge shock to grab their first Eredivisie win in nearly 50 years. Tyrone Owusu opened the scoring in the 21st minute at the Philips Stadion, powering an absolute laser into the top-right corner from outside the box.

PSV then chased and chased, amassing a total of 23 efforts. However, just five of those arrived on target, and they weren’t struck again by the White Lions just after the hour mark. Guus Offerhaus drove in a low corner from the right, and Patrick Brouwer made it two goals in two games as he prodded the ball into the roof of Matej Kovar’s net.

Excelsior followed this feat well in the final Saturday game, beating FC Twente with a surprise result of their own to get their first three points of 2025/26. It was particularly impressive, given Eredivisie newcomer Stan Henderikx was dismissed just 21 minutes into this clash. He received his marching orders after fouling Daan Rots as the last man on a quick counter, although VAR intervention had to back up the matter.

Despite this, 10-man Excelsior managed to quell the Twente danger (28 shots to be precise) and grab a goal against the run of play to snatch the win. It was some finish by the way, as Mike van Duinen skilfully raced through a disfigured backline to squeeze the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle on the right with just seven minutes left on the clock.

Sunday: Fortuna Sittard stop Nijmegen run, Feyenoord prevail in Rotterdam Derby

NEC Nijmegen’s time atop the early league table came to an end this weekend as Fortuna Sittard upset the apple cart with a fine 3-2 win. Mohamed Ihattaren had Milaanstraat bouncing just four minutes into this one, as he cut in from the left of the box and fired a deflected effort into the bottom-right corner.

The visitors replied with Bryan Linssen scoring his third goal of the new season following a Mattijs Branderhorst blunder. However, Ihattaren was at the double from the spot to restore the lead on 35′. Sami Ouaissa looked to have restored parity inside the final 30 minutes with a sublime touch and finish inside the box.

Unfortunately, this amazing bit of skill would go unrewarded, as Fortuna stole the points four minutes into stoppage time with Paul Gladon finding the bottom right from out on the left.

PEC Zwolle tasted defeat at the hands of Utrecht in the day’s next match. Two quick goals sunk the hosts, as in the 41st minute, Davy van den Berg volleyed a fine Derry Murkin cross into the right of the goal.

Just four minutes later, the game’s second and final strike came from more joy down Utrecht’s left side. Souffian El Karouani was inevitably involved for his fourth assist of the league season. He popped the ball inside from the left wing, and Murkin did a great job to place the ball across goal and into the bottom-right corner.

It was Derby day in Rotterdam, as Feyenoord put four past a hosting Sparta at Het Kasteel. Boyhood Feyenoord fan Jordan Bos had a dream game, volleying into the top-left corner to open the scoring in the 29th minute from a half-cleared corner. Momentum then continued with the visitors, as Ayase Ueda made it 2-0 early in the second period. He rolled a slow Marvin Young in the area and then lunged to slip the ball past Joel Drommel. On 65′, and after Bruno Martins Indi’s red card, he had his brace. Luciano Valente capped a nice passing move with a low drive from the right. Drommel saved, yet Ueda ghosted in to pass home.

AZ Alkmaar left it late in the final match of the weekend, toppling NAC Breda 1-0 at the Rat Verlegh Stadion. Although unfortunate, Sidney van Hooijdonk admittedly didn’t do his side any favours as he got sent off late in the first half for an awkward studded fall on the calf of Wouter Goes. That said, his side managed to defend well for a good chunk of the second period, while also testing eventual MOTM Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro on multiple occasions.

They just came undone in the final exchanges, and will likely spend the international break ruing their lapse of concentration at the back. Czech new boy Matej Sin was key for the goal. He came off the bench and provided a great low pull-back from the left. NAC lost track of fellow substitute Sven Mijnans, and the midfielder was free to power past Daniel Bielica.

League table after Matchweek 4

Top goalscorers after Matchweek 4

FotMob Team of the Week

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield