A Riechedly Bazoer wonder strike downs Feyenoord in ‘de klassieke’, PSV gain revenge for cup exit, while Hakim Ziyech returns to haunt Heerenveen, writes Neil Adderley.

Excelsior 0 v 0 Willem II: stalemate in Rotterdam

The Friday night curse struck again as Excelsior and Willem II played out a dour goalless draw in Rotterdam.

Both sides have struggled for goals and neither could find enough quality to break the run of three scoreless Friday evening games.

Willem II’s Kostas Lamprou was the busier of the two keepers, denying both Brandley Kuwas and Tom van Weert, while Tom Muyters was rarely called into action for Excelsior.

ADO Den Haag 2 v 2 Roda JC: spoils shared in The Hague

Roda JC, fielding eight new signings, twice fought back from a goal down to claim a point at the Kyocera Stadium.

ADO opened the scoring when Kevin Jansen, taking advantage of a poor clearance from Roda keeper Benjamin van Leer, found an empty net from 25 yards.

And it was another defensive error, this time from ADO centre back Vito Wormgoor, that allowed Tom van Hyfte to bring Roda level with a simple tap in just before the break.

ADO regained the lead on 53 minutes as Timothy Derijck headed home a Edouard Duplan free kick.

However, Roda substitute Kristoffer Peterson restored parity with a thunderous 81st minute strike to secure a deserved point for the visitors.

AZ Alkmaar 1 v 0 Vitesse Arnhem: In form AZ leapfrog Vitesse

A superb Vincent Janssen solo effort was enough for Eredivisie form side AZ.

The ex­Feyenoord youth product beating two defenders with a delightful flick, before lobbing Vitesse keeper Elroy Room from the edge of the penalty area.

A disappointing Vitesse had no answer to the 62nd minute strike, propelling AZ with Ron Vlaar outstanding in defence into fifth in the table.

Heerenveen 1 v 3 FC Twente: Ziyech returns to haunt Heerenveen

The much talked about January transfer of Twente star Hakim Ziyech failed to materialise, and Heerenveen were made to pay as the mercurial midfielder put on another dazzling display.

Despite the hosts going in front when Henk Veerman pounced on a Nick Marsman error, the evening would belong to Ziyech on his return to ex­club Heerenveen.

Ziyech fired the first warning shot but saw a low strike come back of the upright, before his perfectly flighted free kick was headed home by defender Bruno Uvini.

Twente who controlled the second half, were given a huge boost when Heerenveen defender Joost van Aken collected a second yellow card on 70 minutes.

But the visitors had to wait until the 89th minute before making the dominance and numerical advantage pay.

A low cross was miscued by winger Jerson Cabral, but the bouncing ball deceived keeper Erwin Mulder before nestling in the bottom corner.

And a first Twente away win of the season was finally sealed in injury time, as Ziyech rounded Mulder and stroked home into an empty net.

Heracles Almelo 2 v 0 PEC Zwolle: Heracles hit dizzying heights with comfortable win

The Heracles fairytale continues as second half goals from Ilias Bel Hassani and Jaroslav Navratil saw off PEC Zwolle in Almelo.

With the race for the title well and truly a two horse affair, the comfortable victory over PEC leaves Heracles leading the pack fighting for a Europa League slot.

It continues to be a remarkable turnaround for both club and manager John Stegeman, who this time last season found themselves mired in a fight for Eredivisie survival.

Ajax 2 v 1 Feyenoord: Ajax fightback to claim victory in ‘de klassieke’

Ajax claimed victory over fiercest rivals Feyenoord with goals from Amin Younes and a wonder strike from Riechedly Bazoer, cancelling out a Jens Toornstra strike.

The hosts took the game to Feyenoord from the first whistle, but the ArenA was stunned into silence on 13 minutes as Toornstra collected a Dirk Kuijt pass before beating Jasper Cillessen with a low drive.

However, the visitors lead was short lived as Youness found the net from a tight angle, after beating two defenders with a sublime jinking run in the box.

Both keepers were tested in a game that ebbed and flowed, with Cillessen twice denying Tonny Vilhena, while Kenneth Vermeer recovered with a slide tackle to prevent Anwar El Ghazi giving Ajax a lead going into the break.

Ajax gained control of the second period as the frantic pace of a breathless opening half took its toll on the away side.

And the hosts took a deserved lead with a stunning drive from young midfielder Bazoer.

The 19 year old hitting a 20 yard curler with the outside of his right foot to leave Vermeer helpless in the Feyenoord goal.

Ajax failed to put Feyenoord to the sword minutes later, with Nemanja Gudelj blazing wildly over from the penalty spot, after Vermeer had brought down Davy Klaassen in the box.

But the Amsterdammers held on to a crucial victory in the race for the Dutch title.

De Graafschap 1 v 1 NEC Nijmegen: NEC haul in ten­ man De Graafschap

Bottom club De Graafschap moved within one point of relegation rivals Cambuur with a hard fought point against NEC.

Andrew Driver, a former Scottish cup winner with Heart of Midlothian, gave the hosts a first half lead, firing home on the volley from a tight angle.

NEC, who had left top scorer Christian Santos on the bench, missed a number of chances to level matters.

However, the introduction of the want­away striker, combined with a red card for the host’s Karim Tarfi, allowed the visitors to take control of the game.

And NEC secured a deserved point with a 78th minute Marcel Ritzmaier strike.

Groningen 2 v 0 Cambuur Leeuwarden: Routine win for Groningen leaves Cambuur in deep trouble

Goals either side of the break from Michael de Leeuw and Oussama Idrissi gave Groningen a comfortable victory over relegation haunted Cambuur.

Michael de Leeuw rolled home the opener on 14 minutes, after excellent work down the left from Danny Hoesen and Bryan Linssen.

And the hosts dominance continued throughout the first period as struggling Cambuur failed to gain a foothold in the game.

While the visitors improved after the break, they rarely threatened Sergio Padt in the Groningen goal.

And Groningen eventually sealed the win on 80 minutes when Idrissi cut in from the left, before beating Leonard Nienhuis with a 20 yard strike.

Utrecht 0 v 2 PSV Eindhoven: PSV retain top spot at the Galgenwaard

League leaders PSV turned the tables on Utrecht with goals from Santiago Arias and Marco van Ginkel.

Just days after being dumped out of the Dutch cup by Utrecht, PSV gained revenge and the three points, to keep the champions a point ahead of Ajax at the top of the Eredivisie table.

Arias opened the scoring on 15 minutes after excellent play between Luuk de Jong and Van Ginkel, before the Chelsea loanee doubled the champions lead just six minutes later.

Utrecht fought back after the interval, but after both Ruud Boymans, crashing a header against the bar, and Sebastian Haller failed to find the target, PSV held on comfortably to move back above Ajax in the race for the title.