A defensive opening to the game saw neither side create big chances until NEC’s Mees Hoedemakers finally found space to take Jasper Schendelaar’s goal under fire, but the midfielder’s effort got blocked.
It didn’t take long for this to ignite a fire among manager Rogier Meijer’s players as only a minute later NEC top goalscorer Koki Ogawa expertly finished a well set-up attack from the visitors.
A cagey second half slowed both teams down even further, giving NEC the opportunity to see the game out with a conservative tactic. Goalkeeper Robin Roefs kept his team in the game twice, once denying Filip Krastev with a well-timed reflex to the Bulgarian’s header.
A win in ice-cold Zwolle – temperatures never got above 1 degree Celsius - keeps manager Rogier Meijer hopeful about keeping his job after the former midfielder got eerily close to getting sacked following a 13-game streak which saw NEC win just three games.
PEC, however, failed to win for the fourth consecutive time in the Eredivisie and can only hope a miracle keeps them from five with a home game against reigning champions PSV next on the calendar.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dirk Proper (NEC Nijmegen)