NEC Nijmegen will be playing in the Eerste Divisie next season after a 5-1 loss on aggregate to second tier outfit NAC Breda in their promotion relegation playoff.
Cyril Dessers, whose 84th minute strike had given NAC a 1-0 win in the first leg in Breda, was again the hero for the visitors in the return leg in Nijmegen, with his hat trick giving NAC a 4-1 win at Stadion de Goffert.
However Roda JC Kerkrade narrowly survived the drop, edging second division outfit MVV Maastricht 1-0 on aggregate. Daryl Werker’s 26th minute effort was all that separated the two sides over two legs of football (the first leg in Maastricht ended in a 0-0 draw)
The results mean that NEC will join Go Ahead Eagles in the Eerste Divisie next season. NAC Breda have earned promotion to the 2017/18 Eredivisie along with champions VVV-Venlo. Roda JC, who finished below NEC in the league (17th with 33 points, NEC 16th with 34) preserve their top flight status for another season.