Heerenveen vs OH Leuven

Heerenveen's inability to start either half with defensive concentration decided the pattern. They conceded twice in the opening 12 minutes and again within 60 seconds of the second half, forcing two separate comebacks. The 4-4 scoreline flattered a performance that, for all its attacking quality, revealed structural issues Veldman will need to address before the Eredivisie season.

Jacob Trenskow (Player of the Match) — The Danish winger is in outstanding pre-season form, adding Saturday's hat-trick to a brace against Club Brugge a week earlier. He scored twice before half-time cutting inside from the flank and completed his treble in the 62nd minute off the underside of the bar. Trenskow now has five goals in his last two friendlies.

Oliver Braude — The right-back provided two assists for Trenskow and has built a four-assist pre-season tally. "Jacob and I know each other very well, so it's no coincidence that I set him up twice," Braude told the club website. "We've played two full seasons together and know exactly what we have in each other."

Charles Ikwuemesi — The OH Leuven striker scored a quick-fire double inside the opening 12 minutes, exposing Heerenveen's defensive transitions with two crisp finishes.

Dylan Vente — The striker scored Heerenveen's third goal in the 61st minute and provided the assist for Trenskow's first strike, showing sharp movement throughout.

The eight-goal thriller — with five goals scored in the first 17 minutes of the two halves combined — swung on defensive lapses rather than sustained dominance. Heerenveen's ability to respond both times (2-0 down, 4-2 down) speaks to the attacking chemistry that carried over from last season, but conceding two goals inside the opening 12 minutes and two more inside the opening 11 minutes of the second half tells a different story. The same pattern appeared against Club Brugge a week earlier, where Heerenveen also conceded first before recovering to win 3-2.

Heerenveen continued their "Simmer Tour" pre-season programme with an encouraging attacking record but a worrying defensive one. The match was played at the OWIOS amateur complex in Oldebroek, Gelderland. Veldman was without four injured players — Maxence Rivera, Luca Oyen, Luuk Brouwers and Nikolai Hopland — meaning the defensive unit has not yet had time to settle.

"We need to work on the number of goals we concede," Trenskow told the club website. "We'll get to work on that." Braude echoed the sentiment: "Especially the first two goals we gave away too easily. We lose the ball and they profit."

Heerenveen's next pre-season fixture is against Greek side Volos FC next week. OH Leuven, who finished 12th in the Belgian Pro League last season, continue their own preparations.

A game that showcased everything Trenskow and Braude offer in attack and everything Heerenveen still need to fix in defence. The hat-trick hero will dominate the headlines, but Veldman will know his side cannot afford to spot opponents a two-goal lead twice in one match once the competitive season begins.