By the slimmest of margins, FC Groningen walked away from Rat Verlegh Stadion with a hard-fought 2-1 win over NAC Breda on Friday night, moving the visitors to sixth in the Eredivisie and leaving the hosts still in search of answers in a turbulent campaign.

Clinical Groningen Start, Relentless Breda Finish

Groningen set the tone early with disciplined defending and incisive transitions. The breakthrough arrived in the 34th minute, when Tika de Jonge capitalized on a nervy Breda backline and fired home the opener, giving the visitors a deserved edge. Breda’s frustrations mounted in the first half, not least with a booking for R. Hillen after a clumsy challenge in the 24th minute and a time-wasting yellow for Groningen’s D. Janse just before halftime.

The second half saw Groningen double their lead in stylish fashion. Just nine minutes after the restart, Thom van Bergen finished off a slick attacking move, latching onto an assist from Etienne Vaessen to make it 2-0. The away end erupted, sensing a crucial three points nearly in reach.

Tense Finale After Breda’s Late Response

NAC Breda, to their credit, refused to fold. Head coach Carl Hoefkens rolled the dice with a trio of substitutions just before the hour mark, injecting attacking intent with F. Jensen, J. Talvitie, and L. Holtby all entering the fray. Still, the Groningen defense held firm, frustrating the hosts and picking up bookings as tensions rose—most notably K. Sowah and L. Greiml joining the referee’s book.

Just as time looked set to run out, the hosts struck a late blow; Mohamed Nassoh bundled home a consolation goal deep into stoppage time—his finish from a C. Brym assist in the 90+4th minute setting up a breathless finale. But it proved too little, too late. The final whistle confirmed another defeat for Breda, who sit 15th and now face a critical period in their survival bid.

Broader Implications

For Groningen, the result cements their upward trajectory after a shaky start to the season, the attacking verve of de Jonge and van Bergen offering hope for a top-six push. Breda, meanwhile, are forced to confront a mounting sense of urgency, with a leaky defense and lack of cutting edge in the final third major concerns for Hoefkens amid nervous fans in Breda.

For extended highlights and analysis, refer to the official Eredivisie YouTube channel’s recap of the match, which provides comprehensive coverage with match footage and expert commentary. (Official Eredivisie YouTube has over 500,000 subscribers and is the verified league broadcaster.)

Final Score: NAC Breda 1 (Nassoh 90+4’) FC Groningen 2 (de Jonge 34’, van Bergen 54’)