Excelsior capitalise on early red to rise to 10th | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Excelsior beat NAC Breda 2-0 at Rat Verlegh Stadion. In the 12th minute, a VAR decision upgraded Rio Hillen's punishment to a red card for NAC Breda. Excelsior seized control as Emil Hansson struck (18.) and Irakli Yegoian added a second from Gyan de Regt's pass (31.). Stijn van Gassel made six saves, while the visitors hit the target with six of their nine attempts. Excelsior rise from 13th to 10th and host AZ next, while NAC Breda drop from 17th to 18th and visit Heracles.

Player of the Match: Stijn van Gassel steadied Excelsior with six saves and two high claims, shutting out NAC despite sustained pressure.

Stat of the Match: Excelsior registered 45 clearances, a snapshot of the collective defending that protected their advantage.

Three Things We Learned: The early dismissal after a VAR review left NAC playing with 10 for over an hour. Moussa Soumano led the hosts' threat with six attempts, including two on target. Excelsior's ball use was tidy, completing 77.4% of passes and 63.6% of forward-zone passes to manage the game.