The hosts had gone ahead thanks to Bjorn Vleminckx's 52nd-minute strike and looked set to move themselves into the mix for a Europa League play-off spot. But Fledderus stepped up to produce a lovely curling effort just 11 minutes later. The hosts had enjoyed by far the better of the opening half as Vleminckx was played in by Bas Sibum but his shot was straight at the goalkeeper. Niki Zimling also went close but he was again denied by the keeper. Heracles best chance fell to Mark Looms but his close-range effort was blocked to safety. It took NEC just seven minutes of the second stanza to take the lead. Nathaniel Will did brilliantly to get in a cross from the right and Vleminckx controlled the ball at the far post before firing a shot into the bottom corner. Heracles looked for a rapid response and they almost got it as Tim Breukers picked out Everton, but the Brazilian saw his shot flash narrowly wide. But that proved a brief reprieve for NEC as Fledderus struck to level the scores in stunning fashion. The hosts pushed for a winner late on and Vleminckx should really have had his second but he could only head the ball over the bar from Lasse Schone's pinpoint cross. Substitute Marko Vejinovic almost snatched the points for Heracles with four minutes left but Jasper Cillessen in the NEC goal pulled off an acrobatic save to ensure the sides remained level.
