By Jan-Kees Joosse (26/11/25)
Above: PEC Zwolle celebrate a historic victory. Photo: Martijn Bijzitter.
Last week’s Vrouwen Eredivisie action was perhaps the most shocking in history. Up-and-coming PEC Zwolle beat title contenders Ajax by a whopping seven goals to one, and there were 30 goals scored across five games. Even Netherlands topscorer Vivianne Miedema has discussed the big results.
In her column for the AD newspaper, the Manchester City player said: “Speaking of development: in the Dutch league this weekend, PSV won 6-0 against SC Heerenveen, and AZ beat NAC Breda 8-1…“
She went on to question if these results suggest a reason for the Oranje national team often overlooking talent from the Netherlands’ own league:
“The Dutch national team coaches are sometimes asked why they select few, if any, players from the Eredivisie,” she pondered. “Not that this weekend will necessarily be the answer, but these results do indicate that there’s still room for improvement in the domestic league.”
Miedema was more surprised by the result in Zwolle, suggesting that such a big surprise might actually be good for the league. It prevents everything from becoming too predictable. Although I think the Ajax players feel differently about that.”
PEC Zwolle 7-1 Ajax
Ajax Women suffered a painful defeat in their away match against PEC Zwolle. Just days after their European elimination by Hammarby, Anouk Bruil’s team went down 7–1. It was Ajax’s first loss of the Women’s Eredivisie season and their biggest ever league defeat, and PEC Zwolle’s biggest win, putting them level with PSV and Feyenoord in the standings.
After ten minutes, PEC took the lead. The ball fell to Chihiro Ishida, who struck it cleanly and put the 1-0 on the scoreboard. Not long after, the home side doubled the lead: Judith Roosjen was left unmarked to head in from a corner. Ajax lacked the desire and energy needed to defend properly.
In the 20th minute, Hanna Huizinga had a huge chance to make it 3-0, but thanks to quick reflexes from goalkeeper Regina van Eijk, Ajax stayed in the game — at least temporarily. Van Eijk, wearing the captain’s armband in Spitse’s absence, showed a decent level, but the entire defence and midfield acted like passive cones that Zwolle could easily play through.
Bruil also made a remarkable decision just before halftime, substituting Isa Colin for Daniëlle Noordermeer. That moment marked the beginning of the true collapse, as Noordermeer’s first involvement was a misplaced pass straight into the feet of Sophie van Vugt, who went one-on-one with the keeper and finished for 3–0.
The snowfall intensified, and the cold certainly affected the already tired bodies still recovering from Thursday’s European away match. But the lack of fight and the passive attitude from players like Van Hensbergen, Van Egmond, Noordman, and even the experienced Smits was unacceptable. None of them tracked back or showed any urgency. This would never have happened if Sherida Spitse had been on the pitch — she would’ve roared across the field like a polar bear, putting everyone in their place.
During halftime, coach Anouk Bruil made two substitutions: Ilayah Dostmohamed and Ranneke Derks came on for former Zwolle players Bo van Egmond and Danique Noordman. Shortly after the restart, Van Vugt scored her second of the afternoon, making it 4-0. Van Eijk kept having to pick the ball out of her net, glancing helplessly toward the bench where her coach also seemed powerless. The inexperienced captain, meanwhile, never took the initiative to organise the team or call them together. No one took responsibility.
Ajax managed to pull one back through Danique Tolhoek, who made it 5-1. The striker continued to carry out her task by pressing PEC’s defenders, but when no one else around her followed, it was pointless. PEC Zwolle responded immediately: two minutes later, the ball was in the net again for 6–1. Van Vugt then completed her hat-trick with the 7-1. Joëlle Smits came close to 7–2, but her effort hit the crossbar. The match ended 7-1, marking PEC Zwolle’s first win over Ajax in a long time — and firmly putting them into the title race. Ajax remain on 19 points, while PSV, Feyenoord, and PEC Zwolle now sit on 18.
AZ Alkmaar 8-1 NAC Breda
NAC Breda have come crashing down from their pink cloud after their first Eredivisie win last week. They returned humiliated from their trip to AZ. AZ won with 8 – 1 in their homematch and wrote history with their biggest result ever, with four goals from the international Desiree van Lunteren.
AZ Women started strongly and immediately put NAC Women under pressure. In just the third minute, Nikki de Haan had to make a crucial save to prevent an early deficit. NAC Women responded right away: Emely van der Vliet struck from the edge of the box, but her effort was impressively stopped by goalkeeper Trinette Booms.
After fifteen minutes, AZ Women took the lead. Desiree van Lunteren capitalised on sloppy possession and slotted in the 1–0. NAC Women tried to create danger through quick counterattacks, but they produced little threat on AZ’s half.
AZ Women kept pushing, extended their lead, and seemed to grow into a real flow, while NAC Breda lost their grip. Shanique Dessing finished off a beautiful attack to make it 2–0, after which Fieke Kroese headed in the 3–0 from a corner. The striker celebrated almost sheepishly because it had been so easy to score. An unfortunate own goal by Lynn Verhoef made it 4–0, and just before halftime Van Lunteren added the 5–0.
NAC Breda were a shadow of themselves when they weren’t playing at the Rat Verlegh Stadium. The 2,200 spectators had given the inexperienced team wings last week, but the three NAC scarves in the stands at AZ were a stark contrast. One thing was clear: this would never have happened at the NAC Breda Stadium!
In the second half, NAC Women did everything they could to limit the damage. The team came out of the dressing room with energy and tried to keep the score down. AZ Women, however, remained the superior side, and van Lunteren showed she still possessed that international class. After all those years, she simply got into her groove again and smashed in the 6-0 and 7-0!
Goalkeeper Booms must have been disappointed that she couldn’t keep a clean sheet. In the 68th minute, NAC Women finally had a bright moment. Yentl van Goch took a free kick from thirty metres and struck the ball beautifully via the crossbar into the roof of the net. It was, strangely enough, the most impressive goal of the match. AZ Women remained dangerous and sealed the final score with an eighth goal, making it 8-1.
A historic win for AZ women, who must benefit from this high since the top half of the table is still in touching distance. NAC Women get another chance to redeem themselves: the home match against sc Heerenveen Women. The crowd will have to stand behind the bruised team!
Feyenoord Rotterdam 3-0 HERA United
Feyenoord concluded the first period of the Eurojackpot Women’s Eredivisie with a 3–0 victory over HERA United. It didn’t come easily. Feyenoord, a team full of international quality, had expected a simple ‘walk in the park’. The goals came from Ella Van Kerkhoven, Mao Itamura, and an own goal by the visitors.
On a cold and rainy afternoon at Varkenoord, Feyenoord struck within the opening fifteen minutes. Belgian international Ella van Kerkhoven delivered the opening goal. It briefly looked like offside, but a classic case of optical illusion later showed that Van Kerkhoven had scored in a perfectly legitimate manner.
Just before and after halftime, Kirsten van de Westeringh seemed to double the lead twice, but the flag went up for offside on both occasions. The narrow 1-0 advantage must have made Feyenoord sweat, as HERA proved far more organised defensively than earlier this season.
Just over an hour into the match, Mao Itamura finally provided the relieving 2-0. A special substitution took place fifteen minutes from time. The goalless Van de Westeringh was taken off, and although she was understandably disappointed, her expression quickly turned into a smile when she saw her teammate waiting on the sideline. Talia DellaPeruta, who signed with Feyenoord in 2024 but had yet to feature due to injury, made her debut for the Rotterdam club!
With DellaPeruta on the pitch, Esmee de Graaf delivered the final blow deep into stoppage time. Her effort deflected off a HERA defender and ended up in the net for 3–0.
The positive takeaway for HERA lies in limiting the damage compared to other relegation candidates. Feyenoord, meanwhile, continue to position themselves as one of the strong contenders capable of preventing top clubs Ajax, FC Twente, and PSV from securing European football.
PSV 6-0 SC Heerenveen
PSV Women comfortably defeated sc Heerenveen and proved that European elimination doesn’t have to interfere with their Eredivisie level. Heerenveen offered little resistance, leaving absurd gaps at times for PSV to exploit.
In the seventh minute, a brilliant pass from Riola Xhemaili set up the opening goal. She sent Lore Jacobs through, who cut past her defender beautifully and finished with composure — a very mature goal from the stand-in for the still-injured Fenna Kalma. Less than ten minutes later, Chimera Ripa made it 2-0. She appeared in acres of space and immediately used her creativity to exploit it, leaving experienced player Inessa Kaagman looking at her teammates in disbelief, wondering why Ripa had been left unmarked.
The one-way traffic continued, but thanks to excellent goalkeeping from Brenda Badenhop, sc Heerenveen managed to stay in the match. Badenhop, who played for Jong PSV last year, did an excellent job filling in for Heerenveen’s first-choice goalkeeper Jasmijn Reesink.
In the second half, the visitors created a few chances, but Nicky Evrard was alert and never looked likely to be beaten. On the other end, a strong corner from Renate Jansen finally paid off. Substitute Liz Rijsbergen quite literally ran into the ball to make it 3-0. A few minutes later, Liz provided the assist for Nina Nijstad’s 4-0. Nina then sent in the cross for Chimera Ripa’s 5-0, who again was poorly defended in front of goal. In added time, Sisca Folkertsma — back from injury — scored the final goal of the evening.It was a sweet victory for PSV, and with Ajax losing, they are now breathing down the necks of the competition, just one point behind.
Nina Nijstad scored and assisted in this match. Read here why she’s one of the brightest upcoming midfielders for The Netherlands this season.
Excelsior Rotterdam 1-3 FC Twente
FC Twente Women have been crowned period champions in the Eredivisie! With a 1-3 victory at Stadion Woudestein, they secured an automatic spot in the semi-finals of the Eredivisie Cup. But Corina Dekker’s side did not have an easy sunday since they’ve had a busy schedule this season.
FC Twente Women were without key players Sophie Proost and Jill Roord in the starting lineup due to injuries. The European schedule had taken its toll. Still, Twente took an early lead. Striker Jaimy Ravensbergen headed in a corner to make it 0-1. Excelsior dropped deep with a highly structured defensive setup, waiting to counter through Katelyn Hendriks, which forced FC Twente to keep searching for openings. For a moment, Excelsior’s game plan seemed to work. Shortly after, they equalised. A corner bounced off captain Danique van Ginkel and into her own net (1-1).
The pattern remained the same in the second half. A major chance for Lynn Groenewegen went unused as the midfielder shot straight at the goalkeeper’s legs. Coach Corina Dekker made two substitutions in search of the lead. Precision and first touches were not at their best for Twente. The fresher Eva Oude Elberink, who had lost her starting spot due to the return of Rose Ivens, came on — and it turned out to be a masterstroke. With fifteen minutes remaining, Oude Elberink fired the 1-2 high into the net with a composed finish. Deep in stoppage time, the player from Oldenzaal struck again, this time with a brilliant left-footed shot for 1-3.
With the win, FC Twente Women have secured the period title (for the side first in the league heading into the winter break), granting them a place in the Eredivisie Cup later this season. After eight matches, Corina Dekker’s side sit on 22 points. The gap to second-placed Ajax — who suffered a heavy 7-1 defeat to PEC Zwolle on Sunday evening — is three points.
FC Utrecht had to cancel the match against ADO The Hague because of the snow. This might be an advantage to ADO who had to regroup after the headcoach Marten Glotzbach was fired with just one point on the board.
Firing the headcoach might spark some bounce back from ADO under the interim coach, but the real bounce back needs to be done in the boardroom. There just doesn’t seem to be much financial support for ADO, with new players coming to the team through the academy and more experienced players leaving the club. With only one point they’re at the bottom of the table. The club needs to do more to prolong the history of the Eredivisie winning club.
Follow Jan for news about Dutch women’s football at www.fcleeuwinnen.nl.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 