Ajax cruise past promoted NEC with four goals in first 20 minutes
NEC came to Amsterdam with the hope to upset the reigning champions. Their hopes already fell apart after five minutes when Sebastien Haller scored the first goal of the season for Ajax with a well-struck volley.
Within 10 minutes, it was 2-0 to Ajax. Noussair Mazraoui scored the second goal with a diving header after an assist by Dusan Tadic.
Ajax played with fluidity and and were full of energy. After 14 minutes, the match was effectively won when defender Bart van Rooij tried to chest the ball back to his goalkeeper but overcooked it and the ball went over the line.
With 85% ball possession and 10 shots in the first 20 minutes, Ajax were rampant.
Tadic rifled a shot into the roof of the net to make it 4-0 after 20 minutes. The Serbian then finished a swift counter-attack to score his second of the evening with six minutes to go in the first half.
In the second half, Ajax didnβt waste any more energy as they coasted to a 5-0 win on the opening weekend of the season.
Schmidt rests half of his team as PSV beat Heracles 0-2
PSV coach Roger Schmidt made six changes for the opening day fixture against Heracles following their Champions League exertions but they didnβt affect his side as they emerged victorious, winning 2-0.
PSV struggled from the outset and took time to adjust to the artificial grass. However, they went ahead in the 40th minute when Bruma nutmegged the goalkeeper after he was played through on goal by Davy Propper.
Mario GΓΆtze was brought on in the second half, along with Eren Zahavi, and they had an impact. Englishman Noel Madueke doubled the visitorsβ lead with an excellent finish in the 63rd minute to kill the game as a contest.
Feyenoord continue their good form with hammering in Tilburg
Feyenoord brushed aside Swiss side Luzern 6-0 on aggregate on Thursday in the Conference League and they carried on their goalscoring form with a 4-0 thrashing of Willem II.
ππͺπ₯ππ§ π¨π©ππ§π© π€π π©ππ π¨πππ¨π€π£! π₯
FT | #wilfey
β Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) August 15, 2021
Feyenoord were without Alireza Jahanbakhsh but they did not miss the midfielder as they won comfortably.
Bryan Linssen fired home after 17 minutes, beating Robbin Ruiter at the near-post. Eight minutes later, they doubled their lead following a superb solo goal by Luis Sinisterra, who carried the ball from inside his own half to score.
In the second half, a blunder in the Willem II presented a simple chance for Guus Til to make it 3-0 and he made no mistake.
After a high and out of control challenge by Willem II captain Emil Bergstrom, the defender was sent off following a VAR check, just before the hour-mark.
Feyenoord failed to punish the hosts as much as they could have done, but found time for a fourth goal when Naoufal Bannis scored in stoppage time.
It was the perfect start to the season for Arne Slotβs side.
Other results
Joergen Strand Larsen scored a stunning overhead kick winner in stoppage time to give FC Groningen a dramatic 2-1 win over Eerste Divisie champions Cambuur.
Goedemorgen!π
π² @jorgenwester
πΊ Bekijk hier de hele samenvatting: https://t.co/XW8q7KepBX#camgro pic.twitter.com/MvR9Ww23yW
β FC Groningen (@fcgroningen) August 16, 2021
The forward, who was brought on as a substitute, controlled the ball back to goal and did two keepy-uppies to set himself up for the strike.
He then extended his leg and bicycle kicked the ball into the net; a quite exquisite finish from the 21-year-old Norwegian. It was a cruel ending for Cambuur, who were one of three promoted sides to lose on the opening weekend.
Another promoted side, the Go Ahead Eagles, were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Heerenveen at home.
Elsewhere, AZ Alkmaar were beaten 1-0 by RKC Waalwijk while FC Utrecht enjoyed an excellent opening day, winning 4-0 against Sparta Rotterdam.
