Dirk Kuyt strikes first-half hat-trick as Feyenoord dismantle Heerenveen

Feyenoord have struck five first-half goals against Heerenveen to clinch an emphatic 5-2 victory in their Eredivisie clash at the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

Dirk Kuyt opened the floodgates after just seven minutes when he latched onto Simon Gustafson's ball, edged into space and rifled home.

Just after the quarter-hour mark, the hosts had doubled their lead, with Gustafson once again the provider as his headed flick-on was converted by Michiel Kramer.

The 20-year-old Swede then managed to get his own name onto the scoresheet in the 28th minute by lashing a ferocious volley past goalkeeper Erwin Mulder to all but kill off the game.

A further two strikes from Kuyt before the break helped the ex-Liverpool man clinch his hat-trick and put his side an insurmountable five goals to the good.

Feyenoord took their foot off the pedal after the restart, shoring up their defence to see the game out, but their clean sheet was breached when Henk Veerman scored a second-half brace.

The outcome would ultimately remain the same, however, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst's charges remain hot on the heels of Eredivisie leaders Ajax, while Heerenveen remain one point clear of the drop zone.