Ajax beats Heerenveen 5-1 in Dutch league

Nov 22, 2009 - 4:00 PM AMSTERDAM(AP) -- Midfielder Demy de Zeeuw scored twice to help Ajax hammer SC Heerenveen 5-1 on Sunday and keep pace with Dutch league leader FC Twente.

All six goals were scored in the first half, with leftback Vurnon Anita setting up De Zeeuw for the opener after seven minutes and the Netherlands international dribbling past Bak Nielsen to double the lead with his second in the 27th.

Marko Pantelic made it 3-0 four minutes later and Luis Suarez added another in the 35th from the penalty spot before Goran Popov pulled one back for Heerenveen. Ismael Aissati scored another for Ajax before the interval off a Suarez cross to complete an easy win.

On Saturday, unbeaten Twente moved onto 38 points and a five-point lead in the standings with a 1-0 win over Vitesse Arnhem. PSV Eindhoven, which also has yet to lose this season, can cut Twente's lead to just two points with a win over Heracles Almelo in a late game on Sunday.

Ajax stayed third with 32, seven ahead of Feyenoord, which drew 0-0 at FC Utrecht.

Also Sunday, Sandro Calabro scored twice as VVV-Venlo ended a seven-game winless streak with a 5-0 rout of Sparta Rotterdam 5-0. Adil Auassar, Achmed Ahahaoui and Kevin van Dessel also scored as VVV moved clear of the relegation zone.

Defending AZ Alkmaar beat Roda JC 4-2 on Saturday while last-place RKC Waalwijk secured only its third victory of the season by beating visiting FC Groningen 3-1. The points were shared in two other games as Willem II drew 1-1 with ADO The Hague and NAC Breda finished up 3-3 with NEC Nijmegen.