Wout Weghorst scores twice to help Ajax beat NEC; Feyenoord drop points
Wout Weghorst scored twice for AFC Ajax on Sunday in their away match against NEC Nijmegen. The Oranje international’s two goals helped Ajax turn the game around as they had gone behind due to a goal from Sontje Hansen in the 13th minute.
Ajax started the match poorly, with NEC having two reasonable chances before they broke the deadlock in the 13th minute. A long ball found Baser Unal, whose shot was saved by Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer before Sontje Hansen pounced on the rebound to score against his former club.
Although they had started the match badly, Francesco Farioli’s side struck back within three minutes. Kenneth Taylor played a cross to Weghorst in the box, and his shot went in via Robin Roefs, who maybe should have done better with the attempt.
The goal did not improve Ajax’s performance, however, as NEC missed two huge chances to take the lead in the 25th minute. Koki Ogawa was given a golden opportunity after leftback Calvin Verdonk had found him with a deftly chipped past. His effort was saved by Pasveer. The rebound then fell to Unal, whose shot was partially blocked by Sutalo, but this only resulted in the ball going to Hansen, who then also saw his effort blocked by Pasveer from point-blank range.
The combination of Taylor and Weghorst proved its worth again in the 48th minute, resulting in Ajax taking the lead. The midfielder found space on the left wing and found Weghorst at the far post. Just like in the first goal, you could say Weghorst’s finish was not terrific, but the ball still managed to squeeze past Roelfs into the goal. 1-2.
NEC hit the crossbar after 78 minutes played. A corner taken by Thomas Ouwejan was headed onto the crossbar by Dirk Proper.
It was far from the ideal performance from Ajax, who relied on their luck to get the win, but it was enough for the team to leapfrog FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie table and climb up to second place.
Another team that could have climbed over FC Utrecht this weekend was Feyenoord. The team failed to do so after they drew 1-1 with Fortuna Sittard at home.
David Hancko came close to giving Feyenoord the lead just after the 10-minute mark. He appeared at the back post, heading a ball toward goal just like he did in the club’s impressive comeback against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League last Tuesday. His effort was saved on this occasion.
But this was not the closest that Feyenoord came to breaking the deadlock in the first half. Anis Hadj Moussa almost continued his impressive recent form when he dribbled past his marker and shot from an acute angle. A save by Mattijs Branderhorst resulted in the ball hitting the crossbar.
This came just three minutes before Fortuna silenced the crowd by taking the lead. A low corner found its way to Shawn Adewoye in the box, and he converted the chance in De Kuip.
Hadj Moussa hit the woodwork again minutes after the first goal of the game. A cross from Igor Paixao found the Frenchman in the box, but his volley came back off the post this time.
Feyenoord continued attacking Fortuna, but luck was not on their side, as they hit the post again in the second half. This time, it was defender Gernot Trauner who hit the goalframe.
The equalizer came in the 81st minute, and it was a beauty. Paixao crossed it for Santiago Gimenez in the box, who scored with a brilliant overhead kick.
Feyenoord are still in fourth with the draw, a point ahead of FC Twente in fifth and two behind Utrecht, who are third.
