Heerenveen sink strugglers Excelsior

Heerenveen moved up to fourth place in the Eredivisie with a 4-2 win over bottom club Excelsior. The visitors took a surprise lead through Mitchell Te Vrede's fourth-minute goal, but Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Ramon Zomer, and Bas Dost turned things around by half-time. Although Rolan Alberg pulled a goal back 19 minutes from time, Dost struck again in the 77th minute, taking his tally up to 18 goals in nine games, as Heerenveen moved above Ajax and to within a point of the summit. Vitesse Arnhem strengthened their bid for a European spot with a deserved away victory over FC Groningen. Marco van Ginkel and Jan-Arie Van Der Heijden put Vitesse in charge with goals either side of half-time and although Groningen pulled one back through Dusan Tadic's 68th-minute penalty, the visitors sealed the points with a late Mike Havenaar strike. Vitesse have now picked up back-to-back victories since losing three successive matches, helping them move six points clear of ninth-placed Groningen, who have lost six of their last seven. Jens Toornstra and Charlton Vicento scored as ADO Den Haag claimed all three points in their clash at Heracles Almelo. Toornstra scored after only five minutes and Vicento doubled the lead with seven minutes remaining as ADO eased their relegation fears with a vital victory. The home side remain in mid-table after failing to breach the visitors' defence, but are now only two points above ADO in the table.