Match Report
Excelsior, 13th on 38 points, faced a 21-point deficit to NEC Nijmegen (3rd, 59). The last five rounds placed Excelsior 3rd in the league for form — higher than their 13th in the standings. Per game in the league, Excelsior were scoring 1.26 and conceding 1.65, NEC Nijmegen 2.26 and 1.56, against a competition average of 1.59 goals per team per game.
Excelsior were winless in 6. The five-game form split read 1/15 points for Excelsior against 10/15 for NEC Nijmegen.
The head-to-head ledger counts 13 games: 4 Excelsior wins, 7 for NEC Nijmegen, 2 draws, at 3.08 goals per meeting. Goals have risen lately: 4 per game across the last five meetings, against 3.08 across the full history.
The match was played at Van Donge & De Roo Stadion (capacity 4,500). Half-time and full-time told different stories: NEC Nijmegen led 1-0 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 0-2.
Goal scorers
NEC Nijmegen: Bryan Linssen (30'), Başar Önal (71')
Key stats
Possession: Excelsior 45% · NEC Nijmegen 55% · Total shots: 9-12 · On target: 5-5 · Corners: 2-5