It is advantage FC Twente with Ron Jans' side having defeated Heerenveen 2-1 in their Eredivisie play-off semi-final, first leg tie at the Abe Lenstra Stadium this evening.
FC Twente's wide forwards played key roles in the victory with both Václav Černý and Manfred Ugalde getting their names on the scoresheet on a chilly evening in Heerenveen.
It was Černý who created and scored the opening goal of the match. He jinked his way across the pitch, linking with two of his teammates before sliding the ball home.
A long range thunderbolt from Heerenveen's Thom Haye then levelled matters shortly before the break.
Both sides went close in the second half with Ugalde seeing a shot cleared off the line before FC Twente almost netted an own goal at the other end, the ball coming back off the post.
The game looked set to end level until Ugalde received the ball at the end of a swift FC Twente attack and he struck the winner in the third minute of second half stoppage time.
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Story of the match
It was the visitors who came out showing the greater attacking intent and Michel Vlap fired an early effort at home keeper Andries Noppert from the edge of the box.
At the other end, a Heerenveen counter attack presented an opportunity to top scorer Sydney van Hooijdonk but he hesitated before sending the ball over the crossbar.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when the excellent Černý danced his way across the pitch, playing one-twos with two of his teammates before slotting the ball into the back of the Heerenveen net.
Heerenveen should have been level almost immediately but FC Twente keeper Lars Unnerstall denied Van Hooijdonk before Noppert had to tip an Ugalde effort over the bar at the other end.
The hosts levelled matters in first half stoppage time when Haye took aim from 25 yards and the ball whistled into the back of the net.
FC Twente went close to regaining the lead on the hour mark when Ugalde nudged the ball beyond Noppert but Heerenveen captain Paweł Bochniewicz was there on the goal-line to clear the danger.
At the other end, Osame Sahraoui's near post shot forced a full-stretch save from Unnerstall before Antoine Colassin drilled an effort narrowly wide across goal.
The chances continued to flow with FC Twente creating the next opportunity. Ugalde found himself with the ball at his feet inside the box but his effort was blocked before Heerenveen went on to survive the goal-mouth scramble that followed. Substitute Ricky van Wolfswinkel then forced a save out of Noppert as the visitors pressed for a winning goal.
The game looked set to end level but there was drama at both ends in second half injury time. First, an FC Twente defender almost put the ball into their own net but the post came to their rescue. The Enschede-based side then went down the other end and netted the winning goal through Ugalde. The forward fired the ball across goal and into the far corner of the net from six yards.
FC Twente saw out the remaining minutes of stoppage time to claim the win and an advantage going into Sunday's second leg at De Grolsch Veste.
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Man of the match - Manfred Ugalde
FC Twente finished the regular season 18 points ahead of this evening's opponents Heerenveen and they looked much more dangerous on the attack with their wide players Černý and Ugalde being particularly lively. While Černý was arguably the best player on the pitch in the first half, Ugalde was a consistent performer throughout the 90 minutes.
The Costa Rican international netted one goal but he had a hat-trick of good chances across the 90 minutes. His header brought an excellent save out of Noppert in the first half before his goal-bound effort midway through the second period was hacked away by Heerenveen defender Bochniewicz. Ugalde had the last laugh when he remained switched on to score the winning goal deep in second half stoppage time.
If Ugalde and the remainder of the FC Twente forward line can perform in the second leg, it will be very difficult to see opponents Heerenveen getting back into the tie.
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What is next?
The two sides have just two days' rest before they meet at De Grolsch Veste in Enschede for the second leg. That game kicks-off at 13:30 (BST) on Sunday 4 June 2023.