The differences at the top of the ranking in the Eredivisie are even smaller after Sunday. Thanks to substitute Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Feyenoord prevented a second defeat against PSV (2-2) deep in injury time, but lost points for the fourth time this year. In recent weeks, Feyenoord also failed to beat FC Utrecht (1-1), Ajax (1-1) and FC Twente (1-1).
Feyenoord leads after twenty rounds with 43 points. AZ has 41 points, Ajax 40 and PSV 39. FC Twente can also reach 39 points on Sunday.
The team of trainer Arne Slot had a lot of setbacks in the run-up to the duel with PSV. Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow injured his wrist during training on Saturday and left back Quilindschy Hartman was also unable to play because he is ill.
PSV coach Ruud van Nistelrooij left newcomers Patrick van Aanholt and Thorgan Hazard, who were both hired last week, outside the basic team. Van Aanholt had to go into the field after half an hour. Phillipp Mwene was injured and left the field on a stretcher. Just before that, Anwar El Ghazi had also fallen out with an injury. The attacker first gave PSV the lead in the 8th minute. After a good deep pass from Joey Veerman, star Xavi Simons gave the ball well in the barrel from El Ghazi. The winger hit in a controlled manner: 0-1.
Feyenoord had a few chances in a fairly entertaining, but not good first half. PSV goalkeeper Walter Benítez made a good save on a header from striker Santiago Giménez, among other things.
In the first phase after the break, PSV was under considerable pressure and the equalizer seemed imminent. Quinten Timber had an opportunity from close range that could hardly be missed. However, he shot the ball into the hands of Benítez. Giménez was also close to 1-1 before that.
PSV kept their feet, but it seemed to get even more difficult when Armando Obispo was shown a red card in the 64th minute when he came in hard on Giménez’s thigh. PSV, however, took a further distance with ten men. Hazard, who had just come in, hit the ground from just outside the sixteen-meter area (0-2).
Substitute Jahanbakhsh brought back the tension in the 81st minute with a header (1-2). In the final phase (with 9 minutes of injury time) Feyenoord had many opportunities and one of them resulted in a hit. Jahanbakhsh hit the inside of the post in the 96th minute.
Source: ANP
