PSV and NAC will compete in Eindhoven on Tuesday evening for a place in the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup. The home team is the big favorite, but has not won the cup against the Breda opponent for a long time. As a warm-up, the former players Willy van de Kerkhof (PSV) and Ati Graaumans (NAC), plus the current NAC keeper Nick Olij, talk about three special cup editions from the past in Die Ploeg Van Toffe Jongen Podcast. They are also looking forward to Tuesday evening.
May 1, 1974: PSV-NAC 6-0
On this day, the only cup final to date was played between the two clubs. Although NAC still won the KNVB Cup a year earlier, PSV completely rolled over NAC. In the monotonous spectacle it was 6-0 by goals from Gerrie Deijkers, René van de Kerkhof, Willy van der Kuijlen (3x) and Ralf Edström.
“PSV won thanks to a tactical find by coach Kees Rijvers.”
“We didn’t stand a chance”, remembers former NAC player Graaumans. “That was due to a tactical find by PSV coach Kees Rijvers. He had put Gerrie Deijkers, who normally played back, in midfield. He ran everything to the nondeju.”
“Kees was a tactical phenomenon”, agrees Van de Kerkhof, who was on the field for PSV. “He knew very well how NAC played and the conversions went wonderfully well.”
February 9, 1994: NAC-PSV 1-0
A magical evening, that is the memory of this quarterfinal in Breda. After a big fight, NAC took the win in extra time because striker Pierre van Hooijdonk used a penalty. The NAC stadium was on fire and that was mainly due to a supporters action prior to the match.
“The fireworks ensured that PSV was already 1-0 behind.”
“The night before the game we buried a 250,000 smasher in the ground near the B-side fence,” said supporter John de Leeuw. “We didn’t have to climb over the fence. The stadium was always open, but we had to watch out for the man with his bouvier who was guarding it.”
“Just before the game, we took the fireworks out of the ground and set them off,” continues De Leeuw. “It caused so much noise and smoke that the match only started fifteen minutes later. Later, a PSV fan wrote in their program booklet that they were actually behind 1-0 at the time.”
January 23, 2020: NAC-PSV 2-0
Also in 2020, the Breda team continued to win. That was very clever, because it was the first divisionist who put the premier divisionist over the knee.
“I remember the atmosphere above all,” says NAC keeper Nick Olij. “It was a swirling stadium that went on for ninety minutes. Everything was right. They didn’t finish the chances, after which we came out well twice and scored.”
February 8, 2022: PSV-NAC
In the cup tournament played against NAC more often, but could not really beat NAC after 1985. And that’s how the Breda club is a bit of a fear gegner become. Tuesday is another battle between David and Goliath.
“Of course we prefer to play at home,” says NAC goalkeeper Olij. “Too bad, but winning there is also nice. Let’s not suddenly become anxious and just take the opportunities that we get.”
“NAC can just cause a stunt against PSV.”
“The basis for success for NAC lies in a closed defense”, says Graaumans. “Get through the first fifteen minutes well and then take your chances. NAC does not have to be outplayed.”
“It can go either way, because PSV is not in the best form,” thinks Van de Kerkhof. “It may just be that NAC stunts, but normally PSV makes it to the semi-finals.”
Listen to the full episode in Die Ploeg Van Toffe Jongen Podcast:
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