nac breek de krachter in almelo met late strafschop
Almelo, zaterdag, 14 februari 2026.
een benutte strafschop van clint leemans in de 84e minuut besliste de kelderwedstrijd. nac breda won 0-1 bij heracles almelo en stuurde de thuisploeg naar de laatste plaats in de eredivisie. de zege is de eerste uitoverwinning voor nac sinds december 2024. heracles zag geen kans tot actie in de tweede helft ondanks hoger balbezit. de druk op coach ernest faber neemt fors toe. nac haalt ademruimte in de degradatiestrijd.
late penalty breaks deadlock in relegation battle
NAC Breda secured a vital 0-1 victory over Heracles Almelo in a tense Eredivisie encounter at Erve Asito [1]. The winning goal came in the 80th minute when Clint Leemans converted a penalty following a VAR review that identified a handball by Djevencio van der Kust [7]. The initial incident occurred in the 78th minute, leading to the awarded penalty [7]. This marked NAC’s first away win since December 2024 [3]. Heracles failed to respond despite marginally higher possession [4].
defensive resilience earns precious three points
NAC Breda limited Heracles Almelo to three shots on target during the match [7]. Goalkeeper Daniel Bielica made three key saves to preserve the clean sheet [7]. Heracles recorded 14 total shots compared to NAC’s 13 [4]. However, NAC showed greater efficiency with five shots on goal [4]. Defensively, NAC completed 32 clearances, surpassing Heracles’ 26 [4]. The visitors absorbed pressure in the closing stages, surviving seven added minutes without conceding [1].
league position shifts after pivotal result
The defeat pushed Heracles Almelo into 18th place, the lowest position in the Eredivisie table [2]. NAC Breda moved ahead into 16th place, overtaking their opponents [7]. Both sides remain deeply involved in the relegation struggle with twelve matches remaining [5]. Prior to kickoff, Heracles held 16 points while NAC had accumulated 15 [5]. The outcome increases scrutiny on Heracles manager Ernest Faber, whose team has now lost four consecutive league games [5].
key players influence tight contest
Clint Leemans played a decisive role, scoring the match-winning penalty and striking the post earlier from a free kick [7]. He also completed 41 accurate passes during the game [7]. For Heracles, Remko Pasveer kept his side in contention with four important saves [7]. Several injured players were absent, including Fredrik Jensen and Boy Kemper for NAC Breda due to ongoing injuries [5]. Rio Hillen served a suspension after receiving a red card in the previous match [5].