Excelsior Rotterdam vs Sparta Rotterdam

Excelsior edged a thrilling Rotterdam derby against Sparta Rotterdam, needing a stoppage-time winner to close it out 2-1 at Stadion Woudestein in front of a sold-out crowd. The Kralingers were the busier side all afternoon, but had to survive a Sparta fightback before finally putting the game to bed deep into added time. Aymen Sliti opened the scoring in the 24th minute, but Milan Zonneveld hauled Sparta level three minutes after the restart. The derby looked set to end honours-even until Nesto Groen, introduced as a substitute, struck in the 92nd minute to snatch it for Excelsior. Both teams picked up bookings throughout, though nobody was sent off. The win hands Excelsior bragging rights and an early-season lift after they outshot their rivals 15 to 10 on the day. For Sparta Rotterdam, it's a sore way to lose after clawing back to parity, and they'll look to bounce back quickly in their next fixture.