Heerenveen 4-0 Excelsior: Vente, Braude, Oyen and Trenskow run riot
Heerenveen thrashed Excelsior 4-0 at the Abe Lenstra Stadion in Eredivisie round nine, with goals from Vente, Braude, Oyen and Trenskow lifting them above their visitors.
Heerenveen produced their most convincing display of the Eredivisie season on Friday night, beating Excelsior 4-0 at the Abe Lenstra Stadion in round nine. Dylan Vente opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 11 minutes, Oliver Braude doubled the lead early in the second half, and substitute Luca Oyen and Jacob Trenskow added late goals to turn a controlled win into a rout. This match report breaks down the key moments, the numbers behind the result and what it means for both clubs in the table.
Heerenveen vs Excelsior match report: a patient night that ended in a flood
For long spells this was a tight, cagey contest. Excelsior kept the ball well enough to finish with 48% possession and completed 400 passes, yet they rarely threatened Klaverboer's goal. Heerenveen, by contrast, were sharper in the final third from the start and were rewarded early when referee Robin Hensgens pointed to the spot. Vente stepped up and converted on 11 minutes, giving the hosts a lead they never looked like surrendering.
The rest of the first half was a test of patience. Heerenveen pushed for a second without quite carving out the clear opening, while Excelsior looked to their front three of Aymen Sliti, David Garden and Ágúst Orri Thorsteinsson. The Icelandic forward was booked for a foul two minutes before the break, and Excelsior coach den Uil reacted at half-time by replacing Garden with Mario Domínguez.
Whatever plan the visitors brought out for the second half lasted only nine minutes. Full-back Oliver Braude arrived to finish a move created by Trenskow on 54 minutes, and the complexion of the game changed. Excelsior made three changes at once on 66 minutes in search of a way back, but Heerenveen's response from the bench was more decisive. Coach Veldeman introduced Luca Oyen, Ringo Meerveld and Roberts Uldriķis together on 82 minutes, and within two minutes Meerveld had set up Oyen for 3-0. Trenskow, the provider for the second goal, then wrapped up the scoring himself on 88 minutes.
Key moments: goals, cards and substitutions timeline
- 11' – GOAL, Heerenveen: Dylan Vente scores from the penalty spot (1-0).
- 43' – Yellow card, Excelsior: Ágúst Orri Thorsteinsson, for a foul.
- 45' – Excelsior substitution: Mario Domínguez on for David Garden.
- 54' – GOAL, Heerenveen: Oliver Braude, assisted by Jacob Trenskow (2-0).
- 66' – Excelsior triple change: Ilano Silva Timas, Valentin Sulzbacher and Osman Turay replace Thorsteinsson, Sliti and Simon Janssen.
- 73' – Heerenveen substitution: Marko Farji on for Maxence Rivera.
- 77' – Excelsior substitution: Noah Naujoks on for Eric da Silva Moreira.
- 82' – Heerenveen triple change: Luca Oyen, Ringo Meerveld and Roberts Uldriķis replace Nolhan Courtens, Levi Smans and Vente.
- 84' – GOAL, Heerenveen: Luca Oyen, assisted by Ringo Meerveld (3-0).
- 86' – Heerenveen substitution: Hristiyan Petrov on for Maas Willemsen.
- 88' – GOAL, Heerenveen: Jacob Trenskow (4-0).
Match statistics: Heerenveen dominated where it mattered
The possession split was almost even, but the shot map tells the real story. Heerenveen took 14 shots, 12 of them from inside the penalty area, and put seven on target. Excelsior managed five attempts in total and only one tested Klaverboer. The expected goals figure of 2.32 against 0.73 confirms that the hosts created the better chances throughout, even if the final margin flattered them slightly compared with the underlying numbers.
| Statistic | Heerenveen | Excelsior |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 0 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.32 | 0.73 |
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Total shots | 14 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 1 |
| Shots inside the box | 12 | 3 |
| Passes (accurate) | 519 (444) | 491 (400) |
| Corners | 4 | 1 |
| Fouls | 9 | 10 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 1 | 3 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 1 |
Excelsior goalkeeper van Gassel made three saves, so without him the scoreline could have been heavier still. At the other end, Heerenveen's back four of Braude, Kersten, Maas Willemsen and Zagaritis allowed only three shots from inside the box all night. A clean disciplinary record (no cards for the hosts, just nine fouls) underlines how comfortable they were.
Tactical analysis: Veldeman's 4-2-3-1 against den Uil's 4-3-3
Veldeman lined up in a 4-2-3-1. Linday and Nolhan Courtens sat in the double pivot, with Trenskow, Levi Smans and Maxence Rivera behind lone striker Vente. The shape gave Heerenveen a numerical edge between the lines. Trenskow's movement was the standout feature: he created the second goal and scored the fourth, and he was the only one of the four attacking starters still on the pitch at the final whistle.
Braude's goal from right-back showed how willing Heerenveen were to commit full-backs forward. Against Excelsior's 4-3-3, which relies on its wide forwards to stretch the play, that was a calculated risk. It paid off: with Linday and Courtens screening the centre-backs, Excelsior managed only three shots from inside the box all night.
Den Uil started van Gassel in goal behind a back four of Eric da Silva Moreira, Widell, Plug and Simon Janssen, with Yegoian, Meissen and Hartjes in midfield. His changes, Garden at the break and a triple switch on 66 minutes, were clearly aimed at finding fresh energy up front. With only one shot on target all game, though, Excelsior never really answered the question of how to break down a compact home side once they fell behind.
The bench made the difference
Heerenveen's late substitutions deserve special mention. Oyen and Meerveld combined for a goal just two minutes after coming on together, which is exactly the kind of impact a coach hopes for from a late triple change. Their depth stood in stark contrast to Excelsior's, whose five replacements could not change the picture: the visitors finished with a single shot on target.
Eredivisie table: what the result means
Going into round nine, Excelsior sat ninth on 11 points and Heerenveen 10th on nine, both after eight matches. This result flips that order. Heerenveen move to 12 points from nine games with a record of three wins, three draws and three defeats, and their goal difference jumps from zero to plus four (15 scored, 11 conceded). Excelsior stay on 11 points, and their goal difference drops from plus two to minus two. Final positions will depend on the rest of the weekend's fixtures, but Heerenveen have climbed above their opponents and closed in on the top half of the Eredivisie table.
For Heerenveen, a 4-0 home win can work as a reset after an uneven start. For Excelsior, it is a reality check: their defence had conceded only 14 goals in eight games before Friday, so shipping four in one night was a clear outlier.
Head-to-head: Heerenveen extend their edge over Excelsior
Before kick-off our database showed nine completed meetings between the clubs across the league, the KNVB Cup and friendlies. Heerenveen had won six, Excelsior two, and one had been drawn, with a goal tally of 12-9 in Heerenveen's favour. The recent pattern was even clearer. Heerenveen won both league meetings last season by the same 2-1 score, at home in October 2025 and away in Rotterdam in March 2026. Excelsior's two wins in the series were both 3-0 victories in the 2023-24 campaign. Friday's 4-0 is now the widest margin in any of the recorded meetings.
There is also a nice refereeing footnote: Robin Hensgens, who took charge of this game, also refereed Excelsior's 1-0 home defeat to Heerenveen in November 2022.
What's next for Heerenveen and Excelsior
Heerenveen need to build on this result with consistency, because an even record of three wins, three draws and three defeats shows how up and down their campaign has been. Excelsior, meanwhile, will want a quick response to keep pace with the mid-table pack. Fans can follow every upcoming Eredivisie fixture on our match schedule and track the action as it happens on the live scores page.