Feyenoord ran riot in Almelo on Sunday evening, thrashing bottom side Heracles 7–0 to stay three points clear of PSV Eindhoven at the top of the Eredivisie table.
Robin van Persie’s men produced a ruthless display, powered by a first-half hat-trick from Ayase Ueda, a brace from Anis Hadj Moussa, and further strikes from Sem Steijn and Gonzalo Borges.
Ueda opened the floodgates in the 7th minute before adding two more in the 33rd and 38th minutes.
His treble made him only the fourth Feyenoord player this century to net a first-half hat-trick in the Eredivisie, joining John Guidetti, Dirk Kuyt, and Santiago Gimenez on that exclusive list. The Japanese striker now leads the league’s scoring chart with 11 goals.
Hadj Moussa doubled Feyenoord’s lead in the 28th minute following a costly error from Heracles goalkeeper Timo Jansink, whose mishandled save turned the Algerian’s shot into his own net.
The winger grabbed his second of the night in the 59th minute to make it 6–0.
Steijn also got on the scoresheet before Borges sealed the emphatic victory with his first-ever goal for Feyenoord, calmly chipping over Jansink after being played through in acres of space.
Heracles’ nightmare campaign continues, with Bas Sibum’s men losing eight of their nine league matches and managing just one win so far.
Elsewhere, PSV kept pace with the league leaders by overcoming Go Ahead Eagles 2–0 on Saturday. Guus Til, deployed as an emergency striker amid an injury crisis, scored both goals to ensure the KNVB Cup holders left empty-handed.
The victory came on an emotional evening for PSV, as they bid farewell to club legend Luuk de Jong, who departed for FC Porto last summer after lifting five Eredivisie titles in Eindhoven.
Both teams now turn their attention to European competition. PSV host Serie A champions Napoli in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, while Go Ahead Eagles welcome Premier League outfit Aston Villa in Thursday’s Europa League clash.
The weekend’s Eredivisie action also saw NEC Nijmegen and FC Twente share six goals in a thrilling 3–3 draw. Former Vitesse striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel scored twice from the penalty spot for Twente, fittingly at the home of his old rivals.
Remarkably, the Dutch top flight is yet to produce a goalless draw this season. For the first time in Eredivisie history, the opening 80 matches have all featured at least one goal.
