Rotterdam, Netherlands, NED — Heerenveen survived a remarkable individual performance from Excelsior's Noah Naujoks to claim all three points in Rotterdam, with an early four-goal blitz proving enough to hold off the hosts.
GOALS:- 15' Maxence Rivera - sc Heerenveen- 24' Noah Naujoks - Excelsior- 38' Luuk Brouwers - sc Heerenveen- 40' Maxence Rivera - sc Heerenveen- 43' Noah Naujoks - Excelsior- 67' Joris van Overeem - sc Heerenveen- 74' Noah Naujoks - Excelsior
STANDOUT PLAYERS:- Excelsior: Noah Naujoks - Hat-trick (24', 43', 74'), sole attacking threat- Heerenveen: Maxence Rivera - 2 goals (15', 40'), drove early momentum
KEY STAT: Excelsior outshot Heerenveen 21-10 but could not convert their dominance into a result, with both sides level on shots on target at 5 apiece.