Dusan Tadic scored a late penalty to quell a spirited comeback by RKC and preserve Ajax’s two-point lead in the Eredivisie.

The champions looked like having their advantage cut to goal difference after Jens Odgaard and Michiel Kramer scored twice in seven minutes early in the second half to level the scores. And it could have been worse when Odgaard hit a speculative lob narrowly wide after spotting goalkeeper André Onana off his line.

But in the 90th minute Brazilian striker Antony was brought down on the edge of the penalty area and Tadic took the chance to rescue the points.

PSV Eindhoven briefly took over as league leaders earlier on Sunday with a 3-1 win at home to Heracles. Cody Gakpo scored the third goal after coming on as a substitute for his first game since suffering an ankle injury two weeks ago.

Feyenoord slip, AZ closing

AZ Alkmaar moved to within a point of third-placed Feyenoord as they won 3-1 in Nijmegen thanks to two goals from Swedish winger Jesper Karlsson, who took his total for the season to 13.

Feyenoord dropped points for the second match in a row as Michael de Leeuw gave Groningen the lead in De Kuip, before substitute Cyriel Dessers salvaged a point with a 70th-minute header.

Heerenveen ended a losing streak of eight matches with a goalless draw in Tilburg that kept Willem II hovering just above the play-off zone.

Vitesse-Sparta abandoned

A goal by captain Robin Pröpper on his return from injury was enough to secure the points for Twente, who stay fifth, against Cambuur Leeuwarden. Pröpper waved a Ukrainian flag as he celebrated his strike to show solidarity for the victims of the Russian invasion.

Go Ahead Eagles went into their match against Utrecht buoyed by their surprise win against Ajax last week, but despite taking a 33rd-minute lead through Luuk Brouwers they had to settle for a point after Moussa Sylla bundled in a second-half equaliser.

Vitesse’s match against Sparta was abandoned in the 92nd minute, with the Rotterdammers leading 1-0, after their goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was hit by a plastic cup thrown from the stands. The KNVB will decide whether the match should be finished, replayed or confirmed as a 1-0 win for Sparta.

Results

Saturday

Feyenoord 1-1 Groningen

Go Ahead Eagles 1-1 Utrecht

Vitesse Arnhem A-A (0-1) Sparta Rotterdam

Willem II Tilburg 0-0 Heerenveen

Sunday

Ajax 3-2 RKC Waalwijk

Fortuna Sittard L-L PEC Zwolle

NEC Nijmegen 1-3 AZ Alkmaar

PSV Eindhoven 3-1 Heracles Almelo

Twente Enschede 1-0 Cambuur Leeuwarden