VVV Venlo kept their Eredivisie survival hopes alive by the skin of their teeth on Sunday with a 9-8 penalty shoot-out win against ADO Den Haag in the second round of the promotion/relegation play-offs.

Carrying a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, ADO held on until the 59th minute, when Edwin Linssen struck to level the tie.

That was to prove the only goal of the afternoon and the game went to penalties, with VVV ultimately triumphing in a marathon shoot-out to put themselves within a match of protecting their top-flight status.

The victory was bittersweet for Venlo coach Andre Wetzel, who takes over at ADO next season.

In the next round, VVV will face RKC Waalwijk, who overturned a 1-0 deficit against MVV to progress 2-1 on aggregate with goals from Anthony Obodai and Fred Benson - the winner coming in the final minute of normal time.

De Graafschap, the other Eredivisie side in the play-offs, found life somewhat easier beating Helmond Sport 3-1 to claim a 6-3 aggregate win.

Goals from Leon Hese (34) and Niklas Tarvajarvi (36) put De Graafschap firmly in control, though there were nervous moments when Marc Hocher converted a penalty three minutes before the break.

But Tarvajarvi struck again a minute from time to book a meeting with FC Zwolle, who saw off FC Den Bosch on away goals thanks to strikes from Koen Garritsen and Jordy Zuidam.

Den Bosch, who led 1-0 from the first leg, briefly put themselves back in front in the tie thanks to Paul Beekmans' 79th-minute penalty, but Zuidam claimed the decisive goal six minutes later.