Robin van Persie's Heerenveen side fell to a 9-1 defeat against AZ Alkmaar, bringing about the Dutch side's worst-ever loss.
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Heerenveen lose 9-1 to AZ AlkmaarVan Persie equals the club's worst defeatTroy Parrott scores four goalsGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Life for Van Persie as a senior team head coach has been average so far, as his Heerenveen side began the season with one win, a draw and defeat. However, on Saturday evening, things took a turn for the worse as the former Arsenal and Manchester United striker – who played under the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson in his distinguished career – led his side to a 9-1 thrashing in the Eredivisie against Alkmaar.
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Sven Mijnans opened the scoring for the hosts just four minutes into the match. Heerenveen equalised through Luuk Brouwers before the 20-minute mark, however, former Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott scored four goals before the hour-mark to put Van Persie's side in serious peril. Ibrahim Sadiq, Mexx Meerdink, Kristijan Belic and Zico Buurmeester all found the net to complete a humiliating thrashing.
DID YOU KNOW?
The loss against Alkmaar on Saturday equalled Heerenveen's worst-ever defeat, as the side had lost 8-0 to eventual Eredivisie champions PSV last season in April. The four-goal showing at AFAS Stadion also made Parrott the league's current top scorer, tied with PSV's Hirving Lozano.
WHAT NEXT FOR HEERENVEEN?
Van Persie will hope to see the Dutch side shake off the embarrassing scoreline as soon as possible – with former Netherlands international already looking forward to their next Eredivisie clash against Twente on Tuesday, September 17.