In-form Ajax secure second spot

By Berend Scholten

AFC Ajax will line up in next season's UEFA Champions League alongside Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven, after sealing second place with a 4-0 win against RKC Waalwijk.

Quick-fire goals
Two quick goals midway through the first half effectively killed the game off. Promising Dutch striker Ryan Babel broke the deadlock with a fine solo goal on 34 minutes and three minutes later it was 2-0 thanks to a Zdenek Grygera header. Nigel de Jong and Angelos Charisteas then added two more in the second half as the Amsterdam outfit secured second.

Late comeback
AZ Alkmaar could have made Ajax wait another week with victory against ADO Den Haag. Co Adriansee's side looked on course to do so when they took the lead through Kenneth Perez just after the hour. But two goals in the last three minutes from substitutes Geert Den Ouden and Eljero Elia turned the game on it's head, giving ADO victory and securing top-flight football next season.

Feyenoord flounder
Alkmaar must now be content with a return to the UEFA Cup next term, alongside Feyenoord, despite the side's 2-0 defeat at NEC Nijmegen. SC Heerenveen look on course to claim the final European place, despite a 2-2 draw against Willem II. It could have been worse for the home side, who trailed 2-0 at half-time, but two goals in two second-half minutes from defender Michel Breuer earned a crucial point that widens the gap to FC Twente, who lost 1-0 at bottom-side FC Den Bosch.

Vitesse victory
SBV Vitesse are now Heerenveen's closest challengers, after closing the gap to three points with a 2-1 win against FC Utrecht thanks to a long-range added-time effort from Stijn Schaars. RBC Roosendaal also scored late on as they defeated NAC Breda 2-1, a result that means they will now enter the relegation play-offs.

PSV goal blitz
Champions PSV raced into a 3-0 lead against 17th-placed De Graafschap, with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scoring twice and Phillip Cocu adding another all inside the opening 12 minutes. Johann Vogel grabbed a fourth after the restart before Loïc Loval struck a late consolation for the side who are now battling with Den Bosch to avoid the automatic relegation spot. Finally, Erik Nevland scored a hat-trick as FC Groningen and Roda JC drew 4-4.