Utrecht punish NEC Nijmegen with fast start and steel | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: NEC Nijmegen were beaten 3-1 by Utrecht. Ángel Alarcón struck in the fifth minute after Gjivai Zechiël's through ball on a fast break. On the stroke of half time, Zechiël doubled the lead (45.), and Yoann Cathline added a third soon after the restart (49.). NEC dominated with 75.5% possession and 24 attempts to 11, yet only Darko Nejasmic found the net (59.). Utrecht rise from 13th to 10th and visit Groningen next, while NEC remain third and travel to Sparta Rotterdam.

Player of the Match: Gjivai Zechiël drove Utrecht's counters with a goal and an assist before the interval, plus two interceptions and two clearances that helped lock the game down.

Stat of the Match: Utrecht made 48 clearances, a huge defensive workload behind their counter-punching win.

Three Things We Learned: Utrecht produced five shots on target from 11 attempts and also hit the woodwork twice, underlining their efficiency. NEC delivered 31 crosses at 25.8% accuracy but turned sustained territory into only one goal. Souffian El Karouani's assist reinforces his status, sitting second in the Eredivisie assists chart with 10 this season.