PSV Eindhoven are champions of the Eredivisie yet again. The reigning champions beat Sparta Rotterdam 3-1 after a dominating performance at Het Kasteel.
An unchanged PSV opened the game furiously and dialled up the pressure, creating chance after chance and playing the bulk of their football in the final third. Malik Tillman, Noa Lang, Luuk de Jong, Ivan Perisic, and Joey Veerman all came close to scoring, but the opening goal took a while to present itself.
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Very shortly after Ajax scored the goal that virtually made them the league leaders against FC Twente, a deep Olivier Boscagli cross ended up in the back of a packed group in Sparta's box. In-form winger Ivan Perisic was there to pounce on the opportunity and scored with a low header.
Sparta took PSV's goal as motivation to up the pressure themselves and started creating chances in the latter stages of the first half. Striker Tobias Lauritsen narrowly headed the ball past the wrong side of the post - a ball some believed went in and made Ajax's Johan Cruyff ArenA temporarily erupt - and Ajax loanee Krystian Hlynsson fired a powerful attempt at the near post, but could not beat the departing PSV stopper Walter Benitez.
After a half with 14 attempts and an xG of 1.82, PSV entered the break as the virtual champions with a 1-0 lead.
The visitors hoped to double the lead soon after the game was resumed when Malik Tillman was brought down, and referee Serdar Gozubukyuk pointed at the spot. However, an intervention from the VAR prompted the referee to take another look and cancel the PSV penalty.
Things got even more frustrating for PSV when sloppy defending allowed Feyenoord loanee Gjivai Zechiel to rush at PSV's goal and, after 52 minutes, put Sparta alongside PSV with a controlled effort.
PSV's nightmare ended up lasting only six minutes as Luuk de Jong put the Eindhoven side back in front after Noa Lang found the striker in the box. Sparta protested the goal after a supposed foul on Patrick van Aanholt, but the VAR spotted no wrongdoing.
PSV kept peppering Nick Olij's goal and did not stop creating chances as they hunted for that precious two-goal lead, and Peter Bosz's side rewarded itself in the 85th minute when Malik Tillman put the final nail in the coffin and scored the deciding 3-1.
PSV saw out the match and celebrated a once improbable 26th league title after making up a 9-point deficit to Ajax in the final weeks of the season.
Rj13
9
Ajax I’m shocked 😳 leading with 9 points they threw away the chance of winning the league with just few games to go