Altidore's brace gives AZ Alkmaar draw at Ajax

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Jozy Altidore scored twice in a two- minute span early in the second half as AZ Alkmaar opened its Dutch Eredivisie season with a 2-2 draw against Ajax at Amsterdam ArenA on Sunday.

Altidore scored 15 league goals last season and opened his season with a brace to give AZ a big result at defending champion Ajax, which dropped points just five times at home last season.

Gregory van der Wiel gave Ajax the lead in the after eight minutes and, after the brace from Altidore, Kolbeinn Sigthorsson scored in the 83rd minute to get a draw for Ajax.

Nacer Chadli and Dusan Tadic each notched a brace as Twente started with a 4-1 win over Groningen, Sekou Cisse lifted Feyenoord to a 1-0 win at Utrecht, NEC used first-half goals from Melvin Platje and Pavel Cmovs to win at Heerenveen, 2-0, and Jonathan Reis scored in the 71st as Vitesse tied Den Haag, 2-2.