AZ Alkmaar vs Heracles Almelo

AZ Alkmaar made light work of struggling Heracles Almelo, cruising to a dominant 4-0 victory at the AFAS Stadion. Troy Parrott set the tone inside five minutes, latching onto a Mees de Wit assist to give the hosts an early cushion. Sven Mijnans doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, capitalising on sloppy Heracles defending. The visitors' frustration showed — they picked up four yellow cards and had a Jannes Wieckhoff header ruled out for offside. De Wit got on the scoresheet himself in the 74th minute before Isak Jensen rounded off the rout with a stunning free kick ten minutes later. The result lifts AZ to sixth on 42 points, while Heracles remain rooted in 18th with just 18 points. Boss Ernest Faber admitted his side were punished for their own carelessness — and with relegation looming, they can ill afford many more afternoons like this.