After the first leg ended 0–0 at Excelsior's home stadium, Sparta was eliminated in a dramatic return match, with Excelsior missing a penalty, and then Sparta scoring the 1–0 goal in injury time only to suffer an equaliser only seconds later. The game ended with a 1–1 draw, as Sparta was consequently relegated in the 2010–11 Eerste Divisie. De Mos left Sparta shortly after, stating that the results of Sparta did not match the wishes of both de Mos and Sparta's ownership at the time.