ROTTERDAM, Aug 18 (SW) - Vitesse have won the opening match in the Dutch Eredivisie, beating Sparta 1-2 in Rotterdam.

Sparta had no reason to look forward to the opening match, as the team has not won a first league match since beating FC Utrecht 6-2 at the start of the 1987-88 season.

Vitesse needed less than two minutes to take the lead through Danko Lazovic, and a penalty from Ruud Knol set the score to 0-2 in the 32nd minute.

Danny Schenkel got one back for the hosts with sixteen minutes left to play, but Sparta failed to use that time to score an equaliser.