Ajax win title for third year in a row

Ajax win title for third year in a row

Published May. 6, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

Ajax were crowned Eredivisie champions for the third successive season after thrashing Willem II 5-0 on Sunday.

First-half goals from Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Christian Eriksen set Ajax on their way and Viktor Fischer, Siem De Jong and Danny Hoesen wrapped up the victory - and the title - in style with three more goals after the break.

The triumph left Ajax four points clear of nearest challengers PSV Eindhoven with one round of matches remaining.

It is the 32nd time Ajax have been crowned Dutch champions and coach Frank de Boer becomes only the third man to lead them to a successive hat-trick of Eredivisie crowns.

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De Boer also has the honour of becoming the first player to win the league title three consecutive times with Ajax and then repeat the feat as a manager.

Rinus Michels (1966/67/68) and Louis van Gaal (1994/95/96) are the only other two Ajax managers to seal three consecutive league titles.

Meanwhile, the thrashing of Willem II by the Amsterdammers condemned their opponents to relegation.

PSV came into the weekend still with a hope of denying Ajax the title but despite enjoying another goal-laden victory, it was not enough.

The Eindhoven outfit, who beat FC Groningen 5-2 last weekend, took their goal tally for the season to 102 with their 4-2 win over NEC Nijmegen today - 21 more than the next-best record, which is by Ajax.

PSV did not have it all their own way against NEC though and, having led 2-0 at half-time through a Daan Bovenberg own goal and a Ola Toivonen strike, they were pegged back to 2-2 in the second half following goals from Nick Van der Velden (64) and Remy Amieux (76).

Dick Advocaat's men would not be denied however, and they re-took the lead two minutes after Amieux's equaliser thanks to Jeremain Lens and substitute Jurgen Locadia wrapped up the scoring in the final minute.

Last season's runners-up Feyenoord also had a chance to pip Ajax to the title if results went their way over the final two rounds but they slumped to a 2-0 defeat to ADO Den Haag .

First-half goals from Mike van Duinen (10) and Danny Holla (37, pen) earned ADO the victory as Feyenoord dropped three points behind PSV in the battle for the second Champions League berth.

Vitesse Arnhem remain two points further back in fourth after they too suffered defeat, going down 3-2 at 10-man RKC Waalwijk, who ensured themselves of top-flight football next season with the win.

Despite losing Nourdin Boukhari to a 28th-minute red card, RKC still lead 2-0 at half-time through goals from Robert Braber (three) and Mart Lieder (40).

Vitesse finally managed to make the most of their numerical advantage after the break to draw level with strikes from Jan-Arie Van Der Heijden (47) and Mike Havenaar (68), but RKC hit back to claim an upset win thanks to Jeff Stans' 70th-minute penalty.

RKC's victory means Roda JC and VVV Venlo will take part in the relegation play-offs.

Second-bottom VVV recorded their third successive draw as they played out a 0-0 stalemate with Groningen, while Roda crashed to a 5-3 defeat at NAC Breda.

NAC's goals came from Eric Botteghin (18), Rick Ten Voorde (58), Anthony

Lurling (60 and 81) and Elson Hooi (75), while the men on the scoresheet for

Roda were Frank Demouge (13), Roly Bonevacia (33) and Mitchell Donald (50).

There were also plenty of goals in Heerenveen where the home side suffered a 4-2 home defeat to FC Utrecht. Jens Toornstra (34), Jacob Mulenga (61), Jan Wuytens (66) and Mike van der Hoorn (86) netted for Utrecht with Yassine El Ghanassy (30 and 81) replying for Heerenveen.

Utrecht's victory lifted them up to fifth spot, leap-frogging FC Twente who were held 1-1 at Heracles. The hosts took a seventh-minute lead through Thomas Bruns with Twente levelling up 20 minutes later thanks to Leroy Fer.

In the other game, AZ Alkmaar thrashed PEC Zwolle 4-0 with goals from Viktor Elm (20), Roy Beerens (39), Aron Johannsson (62) and Adam Maher (77).

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