PSV has managed to reach the cup final. At Go Ahead Eagles, the Eindhoven team still fell behind, but after ninety minutes there was a 1-2 final score on the scoreboard. PSV did receive the help of the home team, which played the entire second half with ten men.
Seldom has the way to a cup final been so open for PSV. With opponents Fortuna Sittard, Telstar NAC Breda and Go Ahead Eagles, the club did not know a single team from the left row of the Eredivisie. But the people of Eindhoven had been warned. Go Ahaead Eagles, the opponent in the semi-finals, had won against Ajax on Sunday.
In a sold-out Adelaarshorst PSV was waiting for a hot evening. That became completely clear when the Deventers took the lead. After 36 minutes, it went wrong at the back of the number two in the Eredivisie. A long ball was misjudged by Olivier Boscagli and Joël Drommel, allowing Inigo Córdoba to head in freely. 1-0 and Deventer upside down.
The home team could not enjoy the lead for long, because PSV equalized before half-time. Eran Zahavi, who was not in the game at all, was able to shoot in a cross on a pass from Mauro Júnior.
VAR decisions
Then the video referee intervened in the game. Just before half-time, Zahavi approached the keeper alone. Before he could even think about shooting, Joris Kramer knocked him down. Referee Pol van Boekel first gave a yellow card, but was corrected by his colleague in Zeist. After seeing the images, Van Boekel decided to give a red card. Go Ahead Eagles had to continue with ten men.
One and a half minutes after the break, the leader was called to the screen again. Just before that, Mauro had given PSV the lead, but Zahavi was offside and in the path of the shot. The goal was disallowed.
A few minutes later, Erick Gutíerrez hit his direct opponent firmly. Another red card seemed imminent, but both Van Boekel and Dennis Higler, the video referee, thought it was not worth a card.
Joey Veerman
Roger Schmidt started in Deventer with four midfielders, including Joey Veerman. The Volendammer who came over in the winter played a great game. Everything went well with the playmaker. And if everything works out, you are often lucky.
Veerman had that twenty minutes before time. His shot was touched by goalkeeper Andries Noppert in such a way that the ball fell in: 1-2. A party with the branch could be celebrated.
The victory was no longer in danger and so PSV will be in De Kuip on April 17, in the cup final. The opponent will be Ajax or AZ. Those two teams will play the other semi-final in Alkmaar on Thursday. A confrontation against AZ would be the repeat of the cup final in 2013. That was also the last time the Eindhoven team played a cup final.