FC Utrecht advance to play-off final after tense victory over Heerenveen

Utrecht and Heerenveen ended the regular season in sixth and eighth place respectively, meaning they had to earn their spot in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers through the play-offs.

A lively opening saw both sides test each other's goalkeepers early, with Jacob Trenskow firing two shots at Vasilis Barkas, who was in excellent form.

FC Utrecht took control for the rest of the first half and came close through Artem Stepanov, who broke the deadlock in the first minute of the second half after capitalising on a mistake by Bernt Klaverboer.

Heerenveen responded well via Dylan Vente, who chipped the ball over Barkas to level the score in the 56th minute.

A fierce red and white attack then damaged Heerenveen's hopes of reaching Sunday's final. Mike van der Hoorn powerfully headed in a cross from Souffian El Karouani, who made it 3-1 minutes later with a superb volley.

Heerenveen fought desperately in the final half hour and pulled one back when El Karouani, who had earlier been named in Morocco's preliminary World Cup squad on Thursday, deflected the ball into his own net from a free kick.

Some late chances made the closing stages tense at the Galgenwaard stadium, but the hosts survived and secured their place in Sunday's final, where they will face Ajax in Volendam.