Eredivisie matchday 8: Feyenoord beat AZ and go top, Groningen score five in Rotterdam

Feyenoord are top of the Eredivisie. They beat AZ 2–0 in the meeting of the top two on Saturday, the first defeat of AZ's season, and with 20 points they lead PSV and AZ by one. Feyenoord are the only side still unbeaten. Twente and Ajax both drew, and Groningen won 5–1 at Excelsior. The round brought 29 goals in nine matches: three home wins, two away wins and four draws.

Friday

PSV 2–0 Heerenveen opened the round. Guus Til scored on 29, and Marcus Linday turned the ball into his own net on 68. Heerenveen had five shots on target to PSV's two. NOS notes that 18-year-old Shuryjano Cornecion made his debut for PSV, who were without the injured Ricardo Pepi.

Saturday

Feyenoord 2–0 AZ was the match of the round. Nacho Ferri put Feyenoord ahead on 13, and Javi López made it two on 59 from Charles Vanhoutte's pass. Just before half-time AZ were given a penalty for a foul on Mexx Meerdink, and VAR cancelled it on 43. AZ had 57 per cent of the ball but two shots on target. AZ were without Kees Smit, who came back injured from Jong Oranje, NOS reports. Meerdink and AZ were angry about the penalty decision, NOS reports; Giovanni van Bronckhorst said top spot meant nothing to him yet and that Feyenoord "still have a long way to go".

Ajax 1–1 NEC: Tolu Arokodare put Ajax ahead on 7 from Jorthy Mokio's pass, and Tjaronn Chery equalised from the penalty spot on 19. Ajax had 61 per cent of the ball and 18 shots, five on target. NEC have not lost at the Johan Cruijff Arena in three seasons, NOS notes; Ajax were without Kasper Dolberg, who suffered a serious knee injury during the international break, and Simon Adingra made his debut, according to the club.

Fortuna Sittard 1–1 Twente had both its goals in the first half. Anthony Descotte scored for Fortuna Sittard on 9 from Mohammed Ihattaren's pass, and Robin Pröpper equalised on 34 from Wout Weghorst. Twente had 57 per cent of the ball and six shots on target to five.

Go Ahead Eagles 3–3 Sparta Rotterdam had six goals and the lead changing hands. Milan Zonneveld put Sparta ahead on 23 from Isaac Babadi's pass; Mathis Suray equalised on 50 from Dean James, and Zonneveld turned the ball into his own net on 60. Lushendry Martes, again from Babadi, levelled on 61. Søren Tengstedt put Go Ahead Eagles back in front on 75 from Melle Meulensteen's pass, and Casper Terho made it 3–3 on 84. Tengstedt's goal was his sixth, the most in the league; Go Ahead Eagles have drawn five of their eight matches.

Sunday

Utrecht 3–1 Willem II turned in the second half. Yoann Cathline scored on 53 from Dani de Wit's pass, Jaden Slory equalised for Willem II on 60 from Vito van Crooij, and Cathline scored again on 75 from Oualid Agougil. Ángel Alarcón, from Adrian Blake, added the third on 90+2. Utrecht had 24 shots to nine.

Telstar 2–2 ADO Den Haag was eleven against ten from the 13th minute, when Milan Hokke was sent off for ADO Den Haag. Tyrone Owusu scored for Telstar on 14, and ADO went ahead through Yannick Eduardo on 16, from Evan Rottier's pass, and Rottier on 25. Owusu, from Noach Shenkman, equalised on 37. Telstar had 68 per cent of the ball and 30 shots, four on target; ADO had three shots.

PEC Zwolle 0–1 Cambuur was settled by Nicolas Binder on 83. PEC Zwolle had six shots on target to Cambuur's four.

Excelsior 1–5 Groningen was Groningen's biggest win of the season, the club notes. Marco Rente scored on 7, Irakli Yegoian equalised from the penalty spot on 36, and the Excelsior goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel scored an own goal on 38. Thom van Bergen converted a penalty on 64, after a VAR check, and Brynjólfur Willumsson scored on 67 from Pelle Clement's pass; Rente added the fifth on 90+5. Groningen had nine shots on target to two. Van Gassel called it "a total off-day", Voetbal International reports, and Hans Hateboer started for Groningen for the first time since January 2017.

The table after matchday 8

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Feyenoord	8	6	2	0	+20	20
2	PSV	8	6	1	1	+16	19
3	AZ	8	6	1	1	+10	19
4	Twente	8	5	2	1	+8	17
5	Ajax	8	4	3	1	+12	15
6	Groningen	8	4	2	2	+6	14
7	Fortuna Sittard	8	4	2	2	−1	14
8	Go Ahead Eagles	8	2	5	1	+2	11
9	Excelsior	8	3	2	3	+2	11
10	Heerenveen	8	2	3	3	0	9
11	NEC	8	2	3	3	−1	9
12	Cambuur	8	2	2	4	−8	8
13	Utrecht	8	2	2	4	−11	8
14	Sparta Rotterdam	8	1	3	4	−7	6
15	Telstar	8	1	3	4	−7	6
16	PEC Zwolle	8	1	1	6	−15	4
17	ADO Den Haag	8	0	3	5	−10	3
18	Willem II	8	0	2	6	−16	2

Feyenoord lead by a point from PSV and AZ, who are separated by goal difference, with Twente three points back in fourth. The points race shows how the top changed: AZ were ahead of Feyenoord after every matchday from the second to the seventh. At the bottom, ADO Den Haag and Willem II are still without a win, and PEC Zwolle, sixteenth, have lost six of their eight.

Numbers to know

• 29 goals in nine matches; Groningen scored five of them at Excelsior.
• Søren Tengstedt of Go Ahead Eagles leads the scorers on six; six players have five, three of them from Feyenoord.
• Telstar had 30 shots and scored twice, playing against ten men from the 13th minute; ADO Den Haag scored twice from three.
• Feyenoord have scored 27 and conceded seven, the best record at both ends of the league.
• Utrecht have conceded 25, the most in the division, and Willem II 23.

Next up

Matchday 9 opens on Friday 16 October with Heerenveen v Excelsior at 18:00 UTC. On Saturday 17 October, PSV go to ADO Den Haag at 14:30 UTC and Feyenoord to Telstar at 18:00 UTC. On Sunday 18 October, AZ visit Cambuur at 12:30 UTC, Groningen host Ajax at 14:45 UTC, and Twente v Utrecht and NEC v Fortuna Sittard close the round at 18:00 UTC. The full round is on the Eredivisie page.

Sources for the context: NOS, NOS, NOS, NOS, Ajax, FC Groningen, Voetbal International, Voetbal International.