NAC Breda plays to draw, puts pressure on Ajax

Nov 23, 2008 - 12:41 AM By PA SportsTicker

NAC Breda moved one point ahead of Ajax at the top of the Eredivisie standings thanks to a 1-1 draw at home to NEC Nijmegen on Saturday.

However, NAC Breda was grateful to Edwin De Graaf, whose 58th-minute goal canceled out the opener by the visitors' Lasse Schone in the first half.

Marco van Basten's Ajax has the chance to regain first place in the table when it visits AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.

The hosts were first to show when an attack from the right saw Matthew Amoah cross for Anthony Lurling whose shot hit the post.

It was the visitors' turn to attack but NAC goalkeeper Jelle ten Rouwelaar kept out Tim Janssen's shot down to his left.

However, NEC did take the lead in the 28th minute.

Bas Sibum picked out Schone in front of goal and he shot into the corner to put the visitors - who were seventh at the start of play - into the lead.

There were few clear-cut chances in the second half but NAC levelled when Joonas Kolkka set Kurt Elshot away on the right.

Elshot then sent in a cross which De Graaf headed into the corner of the net.

FC Twente captain Blaise NKufo led by example with a hat-trick as his side picked up their first Eredivisie win in November with a crushing 6-0 triumph over Heerenveen.

NKufo and Kenneth Perez both chipped in with first-half doubles before Marko Arnautovic added a fifth soon after the break and the Twente skipper completed his treble in the 72nd minute.

Heerenveen, which had been a point ahead of Twente in fifth place going into the match, had Mika Vayrynen sent off in stoppage time to add to its woes.

Heerenveen's misery was complete in stoppage time when Vayrynen was shown a second yellow card for deliberately throwing the ball at the back of a Twente player.

PSV Eindhoven striker Danko Lazovic secured the headlines when he got on the scoresheet in his side's thumping 4-0 win over Heracles Almelo.

He showed what he is capable of with the third goal after Francisco Rodriguez and Ibrahim Afellay had netted.

Balazs Dzsudzsak put the gloss on the result as the champions had the points wrapped up before half-time.