Amsterdam, Netherlands – A pair of first-half goals from Derk Boerrigter helped Ajax close in on another Eredivisie title on Sunday with the club claiming a comfortable 3-1 win over second-from-the-bottom De Graafschap at Amsterdam ArenA.
Ajax moves six points clear at the top of the league and now looks to be a firm favorite to repeat as Dutch champions with four games remaining.
It took only three minutes for the hosts to seize the initiative as Siem de Jong's pass found Boerrigter waiting inside the area to lash the ball past goalkeeper Yves De Winter.
De Jong struck the post midway through the opening half for Ajax but a second goal arrived shortly after with Christian Eriksen finishing off a pass from Ismail Aissati.
Boerrigter put Ajax in complete control when he turned home Jan Vertonghen's cross shortly before halftime, while the visitors picked up their lone tally just before the break through Michael de Leeuw.
Roda finds itself in the top half of the table after a 1-0 triumph at Groningen with Rob Wielaert providing the only goal of the contest in the first half.
Utrecht came from two goals down in the opening 20 minutes to snatch a 4-2 win over Venlo as Frank Demouge scored a pair for the winning side, Renato Ibarra's second-half goal was enough to lift Vitesse to a 1-0 win over Den Haag, while RKC Waalwijk and Heracles finished in a 1-1 draw.
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