PSV miraculously won 3-2 at Sevilla on Wednesday evening. After trailing 2-0, the Eindhoven team managed to come out on top thanks to a goal from Ricardo Pepi in injury time. The goal was worth its weight in gold, because it is one of the reasons why PSV will also play in the Champions League next year.
The Eindhoven team played a fairly hopeless match until Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos received a red card in the 66th minute. Then PSV turned everything around. Later in the evening Arsenal played against Lens. The English won 6-0. Thanks to this result, PSV will advance to the next round and the Eindhoven team will play in the eighth finals of the Champions League after the winter.
It seemed to be a hopeless evening for PSV. The Eindhoven team played worthlessly and barely had anything to say against Sevilla in the first 45 minutes. It was a miracle that it was only 1-0 for Sevilla at half time.
Sergio Ramos had given the home team the lead from a free kick. The central defender was able to shoot the ball completely freely behind goalkeeper Walter Benítez. It was a goal that certainly did not come out of the blue. Sevilla was better and PSV mainly sloppy.
Injury Lozano
The Eindhoven team escaped a 2-0 deficit. First, a Sevilla goal was disallowed after interference by the video referee. Goalscorer Djibril Sow had made hands earlier in the attack. Less than a minute later, the Spaniards were close to a second goal again. Youssef En-Nesyri hit the post.
PSV only became dangerous in the first half through Hirving Lozano, but to make matters worse, the Mexican had to leave the field early with a hamstring injury.
Red card
Immediately after the break the score was 2-0 for Sevilla. After another mediocre defense, En-Nesyri was only able to attack Benitez and increased the lead. PSV seemed to wake up for a moment from that second goal and suddenly became dangerous. Luuk de Jong’s header was saved and Yorbe Vertessen botched a nice cross. The Eindhoven team still did not play well.
25 minutes before the end, PSV was helped into the match by Ocampos. The attacker received his second yellow card, which meant that Sevilla had to continue with ten men. PSV immediately took advantage with a great goal from substitute Ismael Saibari.
Next round
PSV pressed on and equalized. Vertessen seemed to head a cross wide, but he was helped by Nemanja Gudelj. The ex-player of NAC Breda, among others, put the ball into his own goal: 2-2.
The match turned out to be a spectacle. PSV rose from the dead and kept looking for more. A victory, if Arsenal beat Lens later on Wednesday, would be enough to hibernate in the Champions League.
That victory came in injury time. Pepi headed PSV to victory in the 92nd minute and thus to the next round of the Champions League, as it turned out a few hours later.
The victory in Seville was PSV’s first away win in the Champions League since 2007.