FC Dordrecht earned a well-deserved 2-0 victory over VVV Venlo on Friday evening, riding second-half strikes from Lucas Woudenberg and Joep van der Sluijs to claim three critical points in the Eerste Divisie regular season at M-Scores Stadion.

Despite arriving on the back of stronger recent form, VVV Venlo struggled to capitalize on their early possession. Both sides entered halftime locked in a tense stalemate. The first half was fiercely contested, with Dordrecht and Venlo tallying 12 shots apiece, but neither side could break through, thanks in large part to disciplined defending and alert goalkeeping.

The match’s turning point came in the 59th minute. Dordrecht's pressure finally paid off when Lucas Woudenberg converted a smartly delivered pass from N. Rossi, giving the home crowd much to cheer about. The goal injected new life into Dordrecht, and Venlo, already shown a yellow card through N. Ait Mouhou just after halftime, became increasingly frustrated as the match slipped from their grasp.

Dordrecht continued to press, and in the 74th minute, they doubled their advantage. Joep van der Sluijs finished off a sweeping attack, slotting home from a Y. Eduardo assist, a moment that sent the home supporters into jubilation and effectively killed Venlo’s hopes of a comeback. Venlo responded with a flurry of substitutions—J. Triep, M. Odriss, and S. Mokono all coming on within a 10-minute span—but they failed to shift the momentum.

The second half saw tempers flare, with yellow cards for N. Foor (Venlo) and A. Drakpe (Dordrecht) as physical play increased. Dordrecht managed the final minutes with discipline, soaking up pressure and holding Venlo to speculative efforts.

Key performances came from Dordrecht’s defense, who neutralized Venlo’s top scorer Nassim Ait Mouhou, limiting him to two shots on target. Nick Venema provided attacking spark with three shots for Dordrecht, but it was the clinical finishing that made the difference on the night.

With this result, Dordrecht leapfrogs Venlo in the standings, climbing to 13 points, while Venlo, after a promising start to the season, are left reflecting on missed chances and disciplinary lapses. Dordrecht’s win extends a recent pattern of positive results against Venlo, as the Schapenkoppen have now won three straight in this fixture.

Match highlights and the decisive moments can be seen in the official Eerste Divisie recap on the “Keuken Kampioen Divisie” YouTube channel, which offers a full breakdown of the critical plays and goals from this encounter.