PEC Zwolle secured a dominant 4-1 victory against Go Ahead Eagles in the IJssel derby on Sunday afternoon, driven by a two-goal performance from Thijs Oosting. The win at the MAC3Park Stadium marked a crucial turning point under interim management, lifting Zwolle to 15th place in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie standings while leaving Go Ahead Eagles in ninth.
The Managerial Shakeup and Tactical Reset
The fixture arrived in the wake of significant upheaval at PEC Zwolle. Following a 1-0 defeat to SC Cambuur the previous weekend, club leadership sacked head coach Henry van der Vegt. Stepping into the breach, interim duo Dennis van der Ree and Maikel van der Werff immediately altered the tactical profile of the side. Zwolle played much better against their local rivals, according to reporting from FCUpdate and goal.com.
That momentum nearly stalled against the run of play. Go Ahead Eagles struck first through striker Stefan Ingi Sigurdarson. The sequence began when Sherel Floranus failed to intercept a long ball from the back—sustaining an injury in the challenge—allowing Viktor Edvardsen to gather possession and cut the ball across the face of goal. Goalkeeper Jasper Schendelaar misjudged the flight of the delivery, leaving Sigurdarson with a simple finish from close range to make it 0-1.
Oosting’s Family Feud and Second-Half Surge
Trailing at the break, PEC Zwolle responded with relentless pressure. Eighteen-year-old Gilles van der Wal fired just wide on the turn, and Sydney van Hooijdonk sent an effort narrowly past the post before breaking the deadlock. Just two minutes into the second half, Van Hooijdonk found the net in spectacular fashion, striking from just outside the penalty area and banking his shot superbly off the inside of the post for 1-1.
Then came the defining sequence authored by Thijs Oosting, whose performance tormented his father, Go Ahead Eagles coach Joseph Oosting. Shortly after the equalizer, Thijs Oosting rattled the underside of the crossbar with a thunderous strike. He quickly followed up by meeting a cross from the left and curling a shot directly into the top corner—his fifth career goal against a team coached by his father.
Ending the IJssel Derby Hoodoo
The onslaught did not stop with Oosting’s brace. As Go Ahead Eagles pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizer, leaving gaps in defensive transition, Koen Kostons added a fourth goal in the closing stages to seal the 4-1 scoreline. Wavebrowsernews.com noted that the comprehensive win ended PEC Zwolle’s dismal run of eight consecutive defeats in the IJssel derby.
| Match Metric | PEC Zwolle | Go Ahead Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 4 | 1 |
| Goals Scored (Second Half) | 4 | 0 |
| Key Goalscorers | Sydney van Hooijdonk, Thijs Oosting (2), Koen Kostons | Stefan Ingi Sigurdarson |
The emphatic victory provides interim bosses Van der Ree and Van der Werff immediate breathing room as PEC Zwolle attempts to climb away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Joseph Oosting’s Go Ahead Eagles side must regroup defensively to defend their top-half standing after conceding four unanswered goals in a single half of football.
