PSV had an easy evening in Nijmegen last Saturday. At halftime opponent NEC hung in the ropes like a boxer: 0-3. After the last whistle, the score was 2-4. Thanks to the victory, the Eindhoven team is ahead of competitor AZ, which drew earlier in the day.
Applause
In the twelfth minute of the game, football came second, when all the attention went to the deceased PSV press chief Thijs Slegers. The applause of NEC and PSV fans in his tribute brought the game to a standstill for a full impressive minute.
When the loud applause sounded in the twelfth minute, the score was already 0-1. Striker Luuk de Jong gave PSV the lead, reacting alertly to a rebound.
Tears of relief
The tribute to Slegers was not the only reason it was an emotional evening. It certainly was for Olivier Boscagli. The PSV defender was last in the base of the team a year ago, when he sustained a serious knee injury.
The Frenchman was immediately important on his return. He headed in the 0-2 from a free kick. The goal meant so much to Boscagli that he fell to the ground crying.
For PSV, the party got even bigger a few minutes later when midfielder Joey Veerman was the end station of a fast attack. He decided the game before the break by making it 0-3.
The nature of the game
PSV remained eager even after the break. The Eindhoven club soon reached an even bigger lead after De Jong tapped in a cross from the left: another nice attack. Not only the score, but also the play indicated that the people of Eindhoven were heading for a more than deserved victory. PSV played all out and left nothing of NEC intact.
Given the dramatic imbalance of PSV recently, a tough match had been expected in Nijmegen. However, Ruud van Nistelrooij’s teamfinally showed that they can play an excellent away match.
It was not a clean sheet. The goal against PSV after 60 minutes was memorable. NEC midfielder Oussama Tannane shot beautifully into the cross from a great distance – a goal that no one at PSV could do anything about.
Third place
After the 1-4, PSV’s level dropped, but it did not run into problems despite Tannane who scored another wonderful goal. He determined the final score: 2-4.
All in all, PSV booked an important victory and even rose to third place, because competitor AZ drew against Heerenveen earlier in the evening. Excelsior will visit Eindhoven next week.
Source: Omroep Brabant
Translator: Martijn
