FC Volendam relegated due to Ajax loss; RKC pick up vital win in Almelo
The second direct relegation spot was decided in the Eredivisie on Sunday, as FC Volendam's relegation was confirmed after they lost 1-4 to Ajax. The Volendammers are now seven points behind Excelsior with two matches remaining.
Ajax took the lead after 24 minutes. Kenneth Taylor received the ball on the edge of the 16-yard box, and he finished it beautifully, side-footing it into the top corner.
Volendam came close to the equalizer as Darius Johnson hit the post with a lob over Geronimo Rulli. But it proved costly, as Ajax doubled their lead right before the hour mark. Chuba Akpom got the match's second goal after profiting from a rebound to tap home.
At this point, Volendam had accepted their impending relegation, but Brian Brobbey made it 3-0 ten minutes later. The striker beat a defender before rolling the ball into the far corner, and no Volendam defender really gave their all to stop him.
Taylor scored his second and Ajax's last goal of the match in the 77th minute before Benaissa Benamar scored a consolation goal for the home side.
Ajax remained in fifth spot due to the win, which guarantees a qualifying spot for the UEFA Conference League next season. They are two points ahead of NEC.
RKC Waalwijk made a massive step towards survival with a hugely important and dominant win in Almelo against Heracles on Sunday. Henk Fraser's side leapfrogged Excelsior in the league table into the lowest possible safety spot and got closer to Heracles beating them 0-5.
An outside-the-foot pass from Chris-Emmanuel Dikwama Lokesa sent David Min through on goal in the seventh minute, who finished the chance to give RKC an early lead.
The away side doubled their lead at the perfect time. Jurien Gaari headed home unmarked right before halftime.
Min got his second in the 67th minute, and again, his teammates laid it on a plate for him. Reuven Niemeijer gave his all to get the cross into the danger area to Min, who was waiting to tap it home.
Heracles's poor defending from corners showed again in the 80th minute. This time, Shawn Adewoye headed it into the far corner to make it 0-4 for the away side.
It was a disastrous defensive performance by Heracles, and it went from bad to worse when they handed Min his hat trick on a plate. Jetro Willems had come on, and instead of playing the pass back to his goalkeeper, he got it all wrong, putting it right into the path of Min, who got there before Michael Brouwer to get his hat trick.
RKC is now two points ahead of Excelsior in 15th. To remain in the Eredivisie next season, the team that finishes 16th will have to beat a team from the second division, the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, in a playoff.
Excelsior faced NEC on Monday night, an unusual time slot, and lost 0-3 while finishing the match with ten men. The away side, which is recovering from losing the KNVB Beker final with Feyenoord, had no trouble with the Rotterdammers thanks to goals from Tjarron Chery (2) and Rober. Excelsior's Siebe Horemans was sent off.
This victory ensured that NEC stayed within touching distance of Ajax and that fifth-place spot, which would ensure they avoided the playoffs in their aim for European Football.
