Leader Ajax Women started 2022 with a victory. At Sportpark De Toekomst, a deficit was reversed against ADO Den Haag after the break: 2-1. VV Alkmaar and sc Heerenveen did not score against each other.
Ajax was the better team from the start, but ADO surprisingly took the lead. Maartje Looijen ran with her closest attackers and made it 0-1 after more than twenty minutes. Danny Schenkel, Ajax Women’s trainer, decided to bring Tiny Hoekstra as an extra attacker after the break. That paid off.
First, Victoria Pelova equalized. She neatly pushed the ball into the goal after Romée Leuchter put it back nicely. Fourteen minutes later it was 2-1. Captain Van der Gragt headed home from a corner. Despite a few perilous moments, the team from Amsterdam remained upright in the final phase.
Competitor PSV also managed to win tonight. Excelsior was defeated 1-0 in Eindhoven. Ajax remains the leader with 28 points after thirteen matches. PSV follows on two points. FC Twente can come to one point on Sunday with a win over PEC Zwolle.
VV Alkmaar
There was no victory for VV Alkmaar, but there was the first draw of this season. At home against sc Heerenveen, both teams kept each other in balance: 0-0. The team of trainer Mark de Vries therefore retains a lead of two points over the Frisians. VV Alkmaar is number seven in the Eredivisie, Heerenveen is eighth.