Dirk Kuyt scored a hat-trick on the final game of the season as Giovanni van Bronckhorst's team clinched a first Eredivisie title in 18 years
As the last game of the Eredivisie season kicked off on Sunday, an immense nervous excitement swept De Kuip. They had been top of the table every week of the campaign, yet the league crown was still not quite theirs. With Ajax a point behind and in excellent form, another slip-up would be an incredible humiliation for a club that been put through nothing but misery over the years.
After their 3-0 collapse at Excelsior last week, it was possible though unlikely.