Twente, Telstar Draw in Eredivisie Season Opener

VELSEN, Netherlands (Interstat) — Twente and Telstar opened their Eredivisie campaigns with a 1-1 draw on Sunday at 711 Stadion, a result that defied pregame projections favoring the visiting side.

The match, the first for both clubs in the 2025-2026 Dutch top-flight season, saw the home side Telstar secure a valuable point against an opponent given a significant chance of victory. Statistical models had heavily favored Twente, with Interstat’s ELO system projecting an 82.60 percent probability of a Twente win and a game simulator predicting a 2-1 outcome.

Twente established control early and found the breakthrough in the 17th minute. Forward Sem van Duijn finished a play to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, capitalizing on their early dominance.

Telstar’s defense held firm against continued pressure, and the match grew increasingly physical. Twente substitute Thomas van den Belt received a yellow card in the 25th minute, one of only two cautions issued in the contest.

The home side pushed for an equalizer in the second half and found it with seven minutes remaining in regulation. Substitute Marko Pjaca leveled the score at 1-1 in the 83rd minute, assisted by defender Jochem van de Kamp. The late goal ignited the home supporters and shifted momentum firmly toward Telstar in the closing stages.

The frantic finish included a second yellow card, shown to Twente’s van de Kamp in the 90th minute, but Telstar could not find a winning goal in stoppage time.

The result leaves both teams with identical records to start the Eredivisie season: zero wins, zero losses and one draw. Their overall records across all competitions also stand at 0-0-1.

For Twente, the draw represents a missed opportunity to begin the season with a victory against a team that finished below them in the previous campaign. Telstar, meanwhile, will view the result as a positive, having secured a point against a favored opponent with a resilient performance capped by a late goal from a substitute.

The Eredivisie continues next weekend with both teams seeking their first victory of the young season.