Playing at home, PSV beat Heracles Almelo 3-0. The team from Eindhoven increased their lead, and secured their victory, only during the last quarter of the match.
Coach Phillip Cocu’s team started energetically, and immediately created great opportunities. However, Pereiro and Van Ginkel, did not score goals. A beautiful pass by Jorrit Hendrix, was neatly turned into a goal by Hirving Lozano.
After this first goal, PSV put the pressure on. The only thing one can hold against the Eindhoven team, is the fact they did not score more goals. Heracles did occasionally try to attack, but the team from Almelo simply did not manage to turn chances into goals.
During the second half, Heracles Almelo performed better. PSV seemed to collapse slightly. There were more passes which went nowhere and pressure let up, enabling Heracles to start a counter-attack. PSV keeper Jeroen Zoet ensured Cocu’s team survived.
In the end, PSV managed to reach 2-0 by a goal from the team captain, Marco van Ginkel. Mauro Junior played a leading role in this. With a head-shot, he ensured the ball landed in front of the goal, and Van Ginkel lashed it into the net.
In the final phase, the home team increased its lead to 3-0. Robin Pröpper (the brother of) committed a violation against replacement Gudmundsson, who had managed to break through. Although the incident took place outside the penalty area, the ball went on the dot and the Heracles defender got a red card. Van Ginkel kept his cool and scored a final goal, resulting in the 3-0 lead.
Source: studio040
Translator: Kate
