Excelsior punished as visitors stay in the top three | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: NEC Nijmegen beat Excelsior 2-0 in the Eredivisie. In the 30th minute Bryan Linssen finished from close range after Darko Nejasmic's pass. After the restart Basar Önal doubled the lead (71.) from Sami Ouaissa's through ball as the visitors stayed in control. Gonzalo Cretazz produced five saves, preserving the clean sheet against five efforts on target. NEC remain third and host Feyenoord next, while Excelsior visit PEC Zwolle.

Player of the Match: Gonzalo Cretazz's sharp handling, including a high claim and multiple close-range stops, anchored a clean sheet under sustained pressure.

Stat of the Match: Gyan de Regt registered four shots on target, a persistent threat that could not find a way past the goalkeeper.

Three Things We Learned: NEC held 55.0% possession and completed 81.8% of passes, which helped them dictate most of the tempo. De Regt led the hosts with five attempts and seven touches in the box, but the finishing touch eluded him. Excelsior's back line made 28 clearances, reflecting long spells spent defending their area.