Amsterdam, Netherlands – A pair of goals from Siem de Jong was more than enough to help Ajax clinch its second straight Eredivisie title on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Venlo.
Needing just a point from its final two matches to win the league, Ajax took control of the game after eight minutes with a goal from De Jong before he netted another shortly before the hour mark to not only seal the win but also to deepen Venlo's relegation fears.
The club will now be headed for the relegation playoffs after the loss, while the bottom two sides, De Graafschap and Excelsior finished in a 2-2 draw.
Feyenoord maintained its place in second after handing Heracles a 4-1 defeat, PSV Eindhoven kept pace with Feyenoord to remain one point back as Ola Toivonen scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Den Haag, while AZ Alkmaar's struggles continued after being held to a 1-1 draw at NEC.
Groningen got a late equalizer from Dusan Tadic in a 1-1 draw against NAC, Vitesse and Utrecht finished 2-2 after a goal in the 82nd minute from Vitesse's Nicky Hofs, RKC Waalwijk toppled Roda, 5-2, with two goals apiece from Aaron Meijers and Evander Sno, while two goals from Luuk de Jong was not enough to prevent Twente from losing 4-3 at home against Heerenveen.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.