After five years, PSV is again among the European elite

With brilliant goals and convincing attacking play, PSV has qualified for the group stage of the Champions League again after five years. In the decisive play-off round, Rangers FC was defeated 5-1 in the return in Eindhoven on Wednesday evening, after the difficult 2-2 in Glasgow last week.

For example, this Thursday, at the draw in Monaco from 6 p.m., there will be two Dutch clubs in the main tournament of the Champions League for the first time since 2018. Back then PSV and Ajax, now Feyenoord and PSV.

The prestige, the millions, the sporting perspective: PSV craves it. For years. The story is known: eliminated by FC Basel in 2019, by Benfica in 2021 and last year by Rangers FC. PSV always snapped at the decisive moment – ​​against Benfica it could not benefit from an early red card from the Portuguese, and last year it lost after a mistake by central defender André Ramalho.

Tension and stress

Their faces are straight when the PSV players walk off the bus at the Philips Stadium early on Wednesday evening. Ramalho starts on the bench this time, the new purchase Jerdy Schouten plays in his place. A bold choice, because Schouten is a midfielder, not a defender. Because PSV will be more on the ball, he can make the difference with his good passing, says PSV coach Peter Bosz beforehand. Ramalho is also “a bit more unhappy” in his last matches.

The tension and stress that Bosz wanted to know little about in recent days is visible in the first minutes. Defender Olivier Boscagli hastily shoots a ball over the sideline, Ibrahim Sangaré shoots a ball high into the air and Rangers immediately creates danger with a low cross in front of the goal. Rangers wins many duels, plays surprisingly offensively in the first five minutes on PSV’s half. Bosz stands restlessly on the side, a worried look.

His team finds it difficult to find the rhythm in that phase. Rangers closes it completely in the back with nine players, making the spaces oppressively small for PSV. Only lone Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers remains in the front, lurking for a rare breakout. He also comes after half an hour, Dessers shoots past, although he appears to have made hands.

PSV is patient, keeps moving the ball from side to side, trying to find holes in the Scottish wall. Which gradually succeeds. After twenty minutes, striker Luuk de Jong heads just wide, after a dangerously twisting cross from right wing attacker Johan Bakayoko.

Moments of class are needed to break it open. With the outside of your foot, Noa Lang knows how to free Joey Veerman on the left. He gives a sensitive, perfectly tailored cross from the back line to the storming midfielder Ismael Saibari, who heads in with a lot of power: 1-0.

Beautiful goal, created from neat, fast combination football. The pressure was also almost unbearable for Rangers, which just before escaped with a great chance from the same Saibari, kissed awake this season by Bosz.

Jubilee De Jong

Loud applause sounds at halftime, this time it really has to happen. Shortly after the break it becomes 2-0. Jordan Teze gives a diagonal cross to Luuk de Jong who puts the ball back at the far post on the completely detached Saibari, who scores again.

It seems decided then. But Rangers combines via Todd Cantwell, former PSV player Sam Lammers and the sliding captain James Tavernier to 2-1. There is then a feverish consultation on the bench at PSV between Bosz and his assistants. What to do? But two minutes later, De Jong made 3-1 from a perfectly cut free kick by Veerman. In his 250th game for PSV, De Jong jumps into the air at exactly the right moment, high above direct opponent Lammers, and nods against the ball at the right moment. The last resistance of Rangers seems to be broken.

It becomes quiet for a moment when Rangers striker Rabbi Matondo hits the post hard after a nice dribble. But after Veerman’s 4-1 and Connor Goldson’s 5-1 own goal, the tension can subside and the anticipation can begin. After five years, PSV is again among the European elite.