Vitesse throws away three-goal lead against Roda

Apr 13, 2013 - 9:06 PM Kerkrade, Netherlands (Sports Network) - Vitesse failed to join Ajax at the top of the Eredivisie table on Saturday after squandering a three-goal lead against Roda, forcing the team to settle for a 3-3 draw.

A first-half brace from Mike Havenaar had Vitesse in control at halftime, and Wilfried Bony extended that advantage with his league-leading 30th goal of the campaign, putting the visitors up 3-0 in the 56th minute.

But things fell apart for Vitesse over the final 30 minutes as Sanharib Malki pulled a goal back for Roda from the penalty spot in the 63rd.

Frank Demouge made it a one-goal game with 20 minutes to play as he scored for Roda, while the equalizer came right before the final whistle from Mitchell Donald, whose goal moves Roda to within three points of safety.

Vitesse moves into second place but is two points back of leaders Ajax, which meets PSV Eindhoven in a top-three clash on Sunday.

Groningen got second-half goals from David Texeira and Leandro Bacuna in a 2-0 win at Heracles, while NAC moved seven points clear of the bottom three with a 2-0 victory over NEC as Anthony Lurling and Elson Hooi scored in the final 10 minutes.

The other match on Saturday saw Twente secure a 3-1 win at Den Haag behind two goals from Dmitry Bulykin in the final 10 minutes.