NAC Breda - FC Twente: 2-2
NAC Breda failed to win again on Friday night, this time being held to a 2-2 draw by FC Twente in Breda.
NAC, who haven't won since November 1st, fell victim to a deadly combination of brothers on Twente's side when left-back Daan Rots assisted Mats Rots for the 1-0 in the 41st minute to cap off a strong first half.
All looked set and done after Ricky van Wolfswinkel further punished NAC six minutes after half-time, but the hosts fought back and got back in the game via Charles-Andreas Brym. Moussa Soumano won NAC a point after a much-improved second half in the 87th minute, after which Boyd Lucassen nearly handed NAC the win, but the defender fired the ball over the bar.
AZ - NEC: 1-3
NEC continued their impressive run of results with a commanding 3-1 win over AZ, who fell to a trio of wonder goals from the Nijmegen outfit.
The visitors opened the scoring via Tjaronn Chery, who beat Jeroen Zoet with a low shot from distance. Shockingly, NEC doubled the lead just 19 seconds after kick-off via Basar Onal, who beautifully curled the ball in Zoet's far corner.
AZ hit back before half-time via top scorer Troy Parrott, but couldn't prevent Kodai Sano from adding a third beauty to NEC's resume for the evening when the Japanese midfielder half-volleyed the ball into Zoet's top corner.
NEC have now won 9 of their last 11 games across all competitions and have narrowed the gap to second-placed Feyenoord to just one point ahead of their massive clash with champions PSV on Sunday.
PEC Zwolle - Telstar: 4-1
Led by a Koen Kostons brace, PEC Zwolle thrashed Telstar 4-1 to extend an excellent home streak in the Eredivisie.
An entertaining first half saw Telstar take the fight to PEC - who last lost at home on October 4th - with attacking football. It was PEC who opened the scoring, however, via English sensation Shola Shoretire, who scored his fourth goal in as many games in the third minute of added time.
Telstar midfielder Nils Rossen brought the Velsen-Zuid outfit back in the game after an hour, but saw PEC score twice in the next ten minutes via Kostons and Ajax loanee Tristan Gooijer, who put the ball in an empty net on a Koen Kostons assist.
Kostons finished the job himself in the 83rd minute, capping off a quick counterattack led by Kaj de Rooij, who had a goal ruled out just seven minutes earlier.
Sparta Rotterdam - FC Groningen: 2-0
A second-half brace from in-form Shunsuke Mito earned Sparta Rotterdam their sixth win in seven games, with FC Groningen bested 2-0 in Rotterdam.
Groningen forward Thom van Bergen had a goal ruled out late in the first half after striker Brynjolfur Willumsson was found to have impeded goalkeeper Joel Drommel. The foul was crucial for Groningen's fate, with Shunsuke opening the score nine minutes after half-time.
A poor FC Groningen were knocked out by Mito late in the game, again after a goal of their own was knocked out - Oskar Zawada was ruled offside and saw Shunsuke Mito complete a brace one minute later.
With Groningen yet to find their form in 2026, Sparta extended their lead over the Pride of the North to four points, with fifth place now firmly in their grasp.