ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (Jan. 17, 2026) (Interstat) — Excelsior and Telstar opened their Eredivisie seasons with a 2-2 draw Saturday at Van Donge & De Roo Stadion. The match defied a pre-game projection that favored Telstar.

Substitutes sparked a flurry of second-half goals. Excelsior’s Jochem van de Kamp opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, only for Telstar’s Nils Rossen to equalize five minutes later. Telstar then took the lead in the 75th minute on Irakli Yegoian’s finish. Excelsior midfielder Noah Naujoks secured the shared points with an 81st-minute goal, having also assisted on his team’s opener.

Both teams are now 0-0-1 in league play. The match featured three yellow cards, issued to Lennard Hartjes, Naujoks and Chris Nadje.