NEC Nijmegen fight back to climb into third at Sparta

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·17 de febrero de 2026

NEC Nijmegen fight back to climb into third at Sparta

Match in Five Sentences: Sparta Rotterdam and NEC Nijmegen drew 1-1. Bruno Martins Indi put Sparta ahead in the 64th minute from a corner. Koki Ogawa levelled from Kodai Sano's delivery (73.), shifting momentum towards NEC. Sparta registered eight corners, reflecting a consistent set-piece threat. NEC climb to third, up from fourth, and visit Ajax next, while Sparta stay fifth and travel to AZ.

Player of the Match: Kodai Sano drove NEC's attack, providing the assist for the equaliser, creating three key passes and winning the ball seven times in midfield.

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Stat of the Match: Sparta Rotterdam made 34 clearances, a clear sign of how often they had to defend deep.

Three Things We Learned: Sparta's set-piece threat mattered, with eight corners and a centre-back on the scoresheet. NEC controlled 58.9% possession and completed 449 passes, dictating long spells of the game. Joel Drommel made four saves to secure the point.