The first Sunday of this Eredivisie season gave fans plenty to talk about — from surprise upsets to big scorelines. FC Utrecht and AZ both started their seasons in style, with strong wins, while PEC Zwolle shocked last year’s European play-off finalists FC Twente. Let’s take a closer look at all the action.
PEC Zwolle 1 – 0 FC Twente
The biggest surprise of the day came from Overijssel, where PEC Zwolle stunned FC Twente with a 1-0 victory.
The story of the match began in just the eighth minute. Thijs Oosting, a loanee from FC Groningen, fired in a tidy goal from distance to give PEC Zwolle the early lead. But here’s the twist — Thijs isn’t just any player. He’s the son of Joseph Oosting, the current FC Twente manager! This wasn’t even the first time he’s scored against his father’s team. Back in February 2022, Thijs scored twice for Willem II when they played against RKC Waalwijk, who were managed by his dad at the time.
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After that goal, FC Twente tried to hit back. Kaj de Rooij had a huge chance to score, but Robin Pröpper — playing his first game back for Twente after returning from Rangers — made a big defensive play to stop it. Moments later, Pröpper nearly became the hero on the other end, but his effort was cleared off the goal line.
In the second half, FC Twente really pushed hard to equalize. They controlled the ball and kept attacking, but the PEC Zwolle defense stood strong. Goalkeeper Jasper Schendelaar and his defenders blocked every shot that came their way.
It was also a special day for Gabriel Reiziger, who made his official debut for PEC Zwolle. He’s the son of former Ajax right-back Michael Reiziger, who once won the Champions League. With the help of his new teammates, Gabriel celebrated his first Eredivisie match with a win — and what a win it was! PEC Zwolle walked away with all three points in one of the most surprising results of the weekend.
AZ 4 – 1 FC Groningen
Meanwhile, in Alkmaar, AZ kicked off their season with an impressive 4-1 victory over FC Groningen. AZ are in the middle of their UEFA Conference League qualifying campaign, but that didn’t stop them from putting on a show for their home fans.
It didn’t take long for the goals to start. In the fifth minute, AZ right-back Denzo Kasius sent in a low cross that Groningen goalkeeper Hidde Jurjus couldn’t handle. The ball deflected off him and rolled into the net for an early AZ lead.
Groningen almost responded right away when AZ keeper Jeroen Zoet made a risky clearance that landed right on Thom van Bergen’s head. Thankfully for AZ, the ball flew wide.
Then came a key moment in the 16th minute. AZ’s Troy Parrott was fouled inside the box by Groningen captain Stije Resink. The referee pointed to the spot, and Parrott calmly scored the penalty to make it 2-0. Things got even worse for Resink just over 15 minutes later. A corner kick hit him in the back, and the ball bounced into his own net for an own goal. AZ were flying at 3-0.
Right before halftime, Groningen pulled one back. Marco Rente scored from a corner after Zoet failed to clear the ball properly. The visitors had some hope, especially when Thom van Bergen almost made it 3-2 early in the second half, but Zoet produced an unusual yet effective save to keep it out.
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Instead of Groningen getting closer, AZ wrapped up the match in style. In the second half, Troy Parrott scored his second goal of the day with a beautiful curling shot into the top corner. This was Parrott’s third game in a row where he’s scored twice — an amazing run of form for the Irish striker.
The match was also emotional for the home crowd, who said goodbye to young winger Ernest Poku before his move to Bayer Leverkusen. The fans got the perfect send-off with a big win.
AZ will now shift focus to their European campaign, as they face FC Vaduz in Liechtenstein for the second leg of their third-round qualifying match on Thursday.
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FC Utrecht 4 – 0 Heracles Almelo
Over in Utrecht, the home side had a dream start to their season with a dominant 4-0 win over Heracles Almelo. From start to finish, Utrecht controlled the game and didn’t give Heracles many chances.
The first goal came in the 33rd minute. Yoann Cathline whipped in a perfect cross from the left, and Feyenoord loanee Gjivai Zechiel rose above the defense to head it in. The fans erupted as Utrecht took a well-deserved lead.
In the second half, Utrecht kept pressing, and struggling striker David Min finally got on the scoresheet in the 62nd minute. Souffian El Karouani took a shot that Heracles goalkeeper Fabian de Keijzer couldn’t hold, and Min was there to smash in the rebound. You could see the relief on his face after scoring his first goal of the season.
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Just eight minutes later, Utrecht struck again. Cathline picked up his second assist of the match, this time setting up Viktor Jensen for an easy finish to make it 3-0.
David Min nearly got his second of the game shortly after, but his shot went just wide. The fourth and final goal came from Dani de Wit, who scored his first for Utrecht with a stunning header into the top left corner.
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It was a complete performance from Utrecht — solid defending, creative play in midfield, and clinical finishing in attack. They’ll be full of confidence going into their next matches as they aim to challenge for a spot in Europe again this season.
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Final Thoughts
This first Sunday of the Eredivisie season had a little bit of everything — underdog victories, own goals, emotional farewells, and strikers in top form.
PEC Zwolle showed that they can cause upsets, even against big teams like FC Twente.
AZ proved they’re ready to juggle both league and European commitments, with Troy Parrott looking unstoppable in front of goal.
FC Utrecht sent a clear message to the rest of the league with their commanding win over Heracles.
If the rest of the season keeps up this level of excitement, Eredivisie fans are in for a thrilling ride.
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