PSV won 3-1 against Vitesse on Saturday evening. The Eindhoven team played a worthless first half in the Gelredome. After the break, they managed to turn a backlog thanks to goals from Ismael Saibari, Yorbe Vertessen and Luuk de Jong. PSV also benefits from the draw of competitor Ajax earlier in the day at Excelsior (2-2).
It was a miracle that PSV was ahead after more than an hour of play. Anyone who had predicted that after seeing the first half might have been declared crazy. In the first 45 minutes it looked like nothing at all with the people of Eindhoven. The fact that it was only 1-0 for Vitesse at halftime was due to the home team’s lack of sharpness.
It was Marco van Ginkel, a former PSV player, who had put Vitesse ahead. He was elusive in the first half because the Eindhoven midfield did not seem to defend. Van Ginkel could have scored more than one goal, but because Jordan Teze took the ball off the line, it remained 1-0.
turnaround
What was said at half-time remains a question mark. But in the second half there was a different PSV. It was still not good, but it was in any case threatening for Vitesse’s goal. The triple substitution of trainer Peter Bosz worked out well.
It was Ismael Saibari, one of the substitutes, who put PSV next to the club from Arnhem within four minutes. He finished in a controlled manner after a nice heel from De Jong. PSV seemed loose, but it was Vitesse that should have made it 2-1 on the other side. Gyan de Regt scored for an open goal, but he hit the crossbar. One minute later, Vertessen, who kicked off in the absence of Noa Lang, scored 1-2 after a good individual class. A minute that showed the story of the match.
First strike
PSV decided the game twenty minutes before the end. Vertessen provoked a penalty, which was used by De Jong: 3-1. It was clear that the team from Eindhoven would eventually ‘just’ win the match, but the game will certainly make Bosz think. He only has two days left for this, because the first confrontation with Rangers FC awaits on Tuesday for participation in the main tournament of the Champions League.
PSV has already struck a first blow in the competition. After Feyenoord’s draw last week, Ajax lost two points in this second round. So the Bosz formation has a first gap on the competition.