DEVENTER, Netherlands — In a match that looked destined for silent resignation amid autumn’s early dusk, Go Ahead Eagles captured a late reprieve as Gerrit Nauber’s headed goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time secured a 1-1 draw against NEC Nijmegen on Sunday evening at De Adelaarshorst. For long stretches, the contest threatened to slip entirely from memory, but football, as it so often does, delivered its drama in the waning moments.

Both teams, separated by only a flicker in possession and ambition, played under the vague promise that one moment might tip the balance. The statistics painted a portrait of equilibrium: NEC with 51 percent possession, the Eagles with 49, and a combined tally of only five shots across 90-plus minutes. The result was a compact, often scrappy midfield affair with chances at a premium and defensive structure prioritized above all.

The first half produced more cautions than chances, with Mathis Suray of Go Ahead Eagles earning a booking for a rash challenge in the 29th minute, while NEC’s Sami Ouaissa received his own yellow before halftime. The minor transgressions, however, failed to ignite a fixture that, despite the presence of attacking talents like Milan Smit and Bryan Linssen, struggled to break free from its tactical restraints.

NEC Nijmegen, deployed in a 3-4-1-2 formation under Dick Schreuder, managed to edge the attacking statistics, producing three shots to Go Ahead Eagles’ two, though only two of those found their way on target. Koki Ogawa and Bryan Linssen searched for space between Eagles defenders Mats Deijl and Joris Kramer but found themselves repeatedly stifled.

For the hosts, Melvin Boel’s 4-3-3 looked to Jakob Breum for creative spark in midfield, but with possession evenly shared and neither side able to establish a rhythm, much of the match was dictated by faint margins and fleeting individual interventions. The goalkeepers, Jari De Busser for the Eagles and Gonzalo Crettaz for NEC, each made two saves, their most threatening assignments arriving in rare flashes rather than sustained waves.

As the hour mark passed, substitutions from both benches reflected a search for answers. Suray and Richonell Margaret made way as Boel reshaped his attacking trident, while Schreuder responded with changes of his own, introducing fresh legs in Misidjan and Chery to probe tired Eagles lines.

The contest’s most decisive intervention arrived in the 85th minute, not by way of a goal but through crisis: NEC’s Philippe Sandler, brought on to reinforce the back line, received a direct red card for a challenge that left little room for debate. The expulsion left NEC to navigate the final minutes with ten men, retreating deeper and inviting the hosts to push forward for a late equalizer.

Go Ahead Eagles, now with both an advantage in personnel and the urgency of the clock, pressed with greater purpose. Their reward arrived in scenes of jubilation deep into stoppage time. Jakob Breum, whose composure had been one of the few constants in the Eagles midfield, delivered a precise cross that found Nauber at the near post. Rising above the melee, Nauber steered his header beyond Crettaz, drawing deserved celebration from both players and home support.

The late equalizer, while dramatic, was as much a verdict on NEC’s disciplined rearguard as it was a testament to Go Ahead Eagles’ perseverance. Schreuder, forced into a defensive shell after Sandler’s expulsion, will lament the timing of the concession, yet NEC’s organization under duress deserves recognition.

For neutral observers, the match will not enter the annals of Eredivisie’s most exhilarating; for Go Ahead Eagles, it was a show of resolve, and for NEC Nijmegen, a demonstration of how slender the margin between triumph and frustration can be.

As both teams look ahead, the point keeps them within reach of their midtable ambitions, but the performance suggests plenty of questions left unanswered. Go Ahead Eagles will hope their late momentum can spark greater creativity in matches to come. NEC Nijmegen, meanwhile, must reconcile the loss of Sandler to suspension and the dropped points that so nearly belonged to them.

On an evening when fluency gave way to attrition, it was the defense’s unlikely rise — embodied by Nauber’s last-gasp header — that provided Deventer with its talking point, and left both teams to ponder what might have been.