Tuesday's away game at FC Emmen was Cambuur Leeuwarden's second shot at clinching promotion to the Eredivisie. Last Friday, the Frisians played Jong AZ at home and were up 3-2 in the 86th minute, but squandered the lead after Remco Balk gave away a penalty following a Luis Suárez-esque save, and Yoel van den Ban scored the penalty with a double touch. Bendeguz Kovacz then won it for Jong AZ with a dramatic 94th-minute volley, costing Cambuur an early promotion.
Cambuur's electrifying start saw them take a three-goal lead within 25 minutes via Ichim Ferrah and Fabian Kvam, who scored twice in two minutes. FC Emmen got on the scoreboard before the break via Romano Postema, but conceded a fourth soon after the break when Ferrah added a second to his tally with a near-post finish from distance. A late consolation goal from Freddy Quispel was one for the statistics, as the Cambuur players and fans celebrated their return to the Dutch top tier.
Cambuur last played in the Eredivisie in 2022, when they were relegated two years after winning the title in the second tier. The Leeuwarden outfit reached the promotion play-offs last season, but were eliminated in the first round after FC Den Bosch won the return in extra time.
Manager Henk de Jong became the first manager in Dutch football history to be promoted to the Eredivisie three times with the same club. The sympathetic Frisian coach also won the Keuken Kampioen Divisie title with Cambuur in 2013 and 2021.
With Cambuur now secured of a top-2 finish, one play-off spot will now be given to the number 9 in the final standings of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie. Cambuur won the second period and had already secured a spot in the play-offs, and with Jong PSV excluded from the play-offs as an Under-21 team, FC Den Bosch are now virtually holding in a play-off spot.
The play-offs are scheduled to start on Tuesday, April 28th. The final, which will feature the 16th-placed Eredivisie team, will be played in two legs on May 20th and 23rd.