GO Ahead Eagles vs 08.08.26 16:454 – 1Full Time
Willem II — Eredivisie: stats, lineups & analysis
Match report
GO Ahead Eagles rout Willem II 4-1 to open Eredivisie season
GO Ahead Eagles began their Eredivisie campaign with a 4-1 victory over Willem II at De Adelaarshorst, overturning an early deficit to move to second in the table. Willem II had led before the hosts' second-half surge turned a tight contest into a rout on matchday one.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Devin Haen put the visitors ahead in the 13th minute, finishing after Nathan Tjoe-A-On's assist, but GO Ahead Eagles drew level before the break through Søren Tengstedt, set up by Melle Meulensteen in the 30th minute. The sides went in level at 1-1 at half-time after an even opening period.
The hosts took control after the interval. Meulensteen turned provider into scorer in the 61st minute, converting a Mathis Suray assist, before Erik Flataker added a third two minutes later from Victor Edvardsen's pass. Julius Dirksen completed the scoring in the 69th minute, again teed up by Suray, sealing a 4-1 win.
GO Ahead Eagles dominated the underlying numbers, holding 69% of possession and firing 18 shots to Willem II's 13, with nine on target compared to the visitors' single effort. The home side also edged the expected goals count 2.24 to 1.46, reflecting a match they controlled for long spells despite the early setback.
Meulensteen was involved in three of GO Ahead Eagles' four goals, scoring once and providing an assist to earn the match's highest rating of 8.6.
GO Ahead Eagles' 69% possession underlined their control of a match in which Willem II managed just one shot on target.
GO Ahead Eagles beat Willem II 4–1 (half-time 1–1).
GO Ahead Eagles met Willem II in the Eredivisie (Regular Season - 1). Kick-off was Saturday, 8 August 2026, 16:45 UTC at De Adelaarshorst. Referee: Robin Hensgens.
Team pages: GO Ahead Eagles · Willem II · Eredivisie
Key moments
- 13' Goal: Devin Haen (assist: Nathan Tjoe-A-On) — 0–1 · Watch Devin Haen's goal video (13')
- 30' Goal: Søren Tengstedt (assist: Melle Meulensteen) — 1–1 · Watch Søren Tengstedt's goal video (30')
- 61' Goal: Melle Meulensteen (assist: Mathis Suray) — 2–1 · Watch Melle Meulensteen's goal video (61')
- 63' Goal: Erik Flataker (assist: Victor Edvardsen) — 3–1 · Watch Erik Flataker's goal video (63')
- 69' Goal: Julius Dirksen (assist: Mathis Suray) — 4–1 · Watch Julius Dirksen's goal video (69')
Starting line-ups
GO Ahead Eagles (4-2-3-1)
Willem II (4-4-2)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave GO Ahead Eagles 57%, the draw 24%, Willem II 19%. It finished GO Ahead Eagles 4–1 Willem II.
GO Ahead Eagles' rating edge carries it — GO Ahead Eagles are the stronger side on our strength rating, and that is most of GO Ahead Eagles' 57%. The draw at 24% is held down by a high-scoring environment.
Why GO Ahead Eagles at 57%?
GO Ahead Eagles sit 182 points higher on our strength rating — 1562 to 1379. Sides with a 100–200-point rating edge at home won 57.2% of 12,653 such games. The 300 most similar past games finished 61–16–23.
Why only 57%?
Both sides are inside their first six league games — home wins land softer this early in the season, so this trims GO Ahead Eagles's column. Across 10,505 opening-stretch games since 2010, home sides won 42.8% where the rating map expected 44.9%, with draws up 2.0 — negative in every season since 2018.
Why the draw at 24%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 24.1%. These teams' recent games average 3.5 goals — a high-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 22.8% of 16,858. The goals environment takes 2.1 points off the draw. Early-season fixtures add 2.0 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
GO Ahead Eagles scored +0.62 goals per game beyond chance-quality lately — hot streaks like that have cooled off. Measured across 2,741 games at this rating gap, hot-finishing sides won 42.1% vs 42.9% class-expected — inside the noise band, so it scores 0 until the receipt clears its evidence bar.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the GO Ahead Eagles vs Willem II final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Eredivisie fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Devin Haen's goal against GO Ahead Eagles (13').
- Watch Søren Tengstedt's goal against Willem II (30').
- Watch Melle Meulensteen's goal against Willem II (61').
- Watch Erik Flataker's goal against Willem II (63').
- Watch Julius Dirksen's goal against Willem II (69').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from GO Ahead Eagles 4–1 Willem II. Explore more on the GO Ahead Eagles and Willem II team pages or the Eredivisie page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of GO Ahead Eagles vs Willem II?
GO Ahead Eagles beat Willem II 4–1 (half-time 1–1).
›Who scored in GO Ahead Eagles vs Willem II?
Devin Haen (13') for Willem II; Søren Tengstedt (30') for GO Ahead Eagles; Melle Meulensteen (61') for GO Ahead Eagles; Erik Flataker (63') for GO Ahead Eagles; Julius Dirksen (69') for GO Ahead Eagles.
›Where can I watch GO Ahead Eagles vs Willem II highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from GO Ahead Eagles 4–1 Willem II are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between GO Ahead Eagles and Willem II?
GO Ahead Eagles and Willem II have met 6 times — 3 wins for GO Ahead Eagles, 3 wins for Willem II and 0 draws.