FC Twente continued their resurgence under John van den Brom with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Heracles on Sunday at De Grolsch Veste, a result that cements Twente’s place among the Eredivisie frontrunners while plunging their rivals deeper into the relegation battle.

The match—a heated Overijssel derby—delivered on intensity and incident. Twente were rocked just minutes in when captain Robin Pröpper suffered a head injury after a clash with Tristan van Gilst, forcing van den Brom to turn to teenage defender Ruud Nijstad, who acquitted himself well on his league debut.

Despite Twente controlling 63% of possession and peppering the Heracles goal with 20 shots to just 3 from the visitors, it was Heracles who struck first. Against the run of play, Ivan Mesík rose to head home an Ajdin Hrustić corner in the 43rd minute, silencing the home crowd and giving Heracles a shock halftime lead. Mesík would go into the referee’s book moments later after a rash challenge just before the interval.

Twente responded with renewed urgency after the break. Only three minutes into the second half, Max Bruns nodded in a Ramiz Zerrouki cross from a corner, pulling the hosts level and flipping the momentum decisively in their favor. Heracles, pinned back by Twente’s relentless pressure, relied heavily on goalkeeper Fabian de Keijzer, who finished with seven saves and kept his side afloat.

The breakthrough came in the 84th minute: Sondre Ørjasæter found Thomas van den Belt in space outside the area, and the midfielder rifled a low drive from 20 meters into the bottom corner for the winner. The stadium erupted as Twente’s bench poured onto the pitch, sensing the importance of the three points.

There was late drama yet. Defender Bart van Rooij, one of Twente’s standouts, saw red in the 86th minute for a last-man foul, forcing the hosts to close shop and withstand a desperate Heracles push in the dying moments. But Heracles, short on ideas and confidence, failed to muster a response and slumped to their seventh defeat in eight matches.

With this victory, Twente have now won three consecutive matches under van den Brom, surging into the top five, while Heracles remain anchored at the foot of the table and searching for solutions.

For supporters and neutrals alike, the match lived up to the derby billing—tense, physical, and punctuated by moments of genuine quality. As Twente look to consolidate their position among the Eredivisie elite, Heracles must regroup quickly if they are to avoid an extended fight for survival.

For highlights and in-depth analysis, see the official Eredivisie YouTube channel and ESPN’s recap, both of which provide footage from channels with over 50,000 subscribers.