Sanches Fernandes brace powers Excelsior as Utrecht see red | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Excelsior beat Utrecht 5-0 in Rotterdam. In the 11th minute Noah Naujoks tapped in after a cross from Derensili Sanches Fernandes to set the tone. Matisse Didden received a second yellow and was sent off (31.), leaving the visitors a man down. Excelsior pulled clear through a brace from Sanches Fernandes (36., 55.) and a fourth from Irakli Yegoian after a VAR review (69.), while posting 59.1% possession and 18 attempts. Lennard Hartjes added a late fifth in the third minute of second half stoppage time, Excelsior rise from 15th to 14th and visit Groningen next, while Utrecht drop from 7th to 8th and host NAC Breda.

Player of the Match: Derensili Sanches Fernandes decided it with two goals and an assist, adding four attempts and completing 37 of 38 passes to overwhelm the visitors.

Stat of the Match: Excelsior registered nine shots on target from 18 attempts, a ruthless edge that the visitors could not match.

Three Things We Learned: Excelsior's control underpinned the scoreline, with 59.1% possession and 86.7% pass accuracy driving wave after wave of attacks. VAR mattered on the day, with Irakli Yegoian's strike upheld to make it four for the hosts. Utrecht still threatened sporadically, as Yoann Cathline hit the bar and Stijn van Gassel made three saves.