NEC Nijmegen and NAC Breda settled for a draw after a pulsating encounter in which both sides enjoyed periods of supremacy.

Mike Zonneveld fired NAC into a fifth-minute lead but strikes from Edgar Barreto and Said Boutahar gave NEC a 2-1 half-time advantage.

Antony Lurling pulled NAC level after the break but the hosts from Nijmegen went ahead again through Romano Denneboom after 59 minutes.

Four minutes later, Yuri Cornelisse again restored parity for the side from Breda and that proved to the final goal of the match.

NAC's failure to win means they are in sixth place - one point adrift of Ajax while NEC are ninth in the standings.

The game got off to a dramatic start when Zonneveld scored with a free-kick that went into the right hand side of the goal.

The equaliser from Barreto was virtually a carbon copy of Zonneveld's score with the NEC player taking advantage from a free-kick awarded for a foul on Denneboom.

Boutahar then created a chance for Tininho, who shot wide from an excellent position from four yards out.

Cornelisse then tried his luck for NEC, only to watch his shot go over the angle of post and bar.

Denneboom almost put NEC in front when his shot was cleared off the line by Pieter Collen after he had been first to a Denneboom shot that had been parried by goalkeeper Davy Schollen.

Three minutes before the interval and Denneboom surged down the left and Schollen managed to smother the ball at his feet.

Then NEC took the lead as Pascal Heije and Denneboom linked up to create a chance for Boutahar who scored from 12 yards out.

Two minutes after the interval, Denneboom eluded the marking of Mark Shenning to fire wide from the edge of the box.

NAC equalised shortly after as an unmarked Lurling scored an easy goal from close range when he was set up by Collen.

Just before the hour mark, Denneboom got the goal his play deserved as he received a headed pass from Barreto and scored.

The lead did not last long as Cornelisse equalised for NAC after Zonneveld's shot came back off a post.

NAC could have snatched it when substitute Bart van den Eede's header struck a post.

Two minutes later, Boutahar shot wide of the post for NEC.