PSV wins with difficulty in Utrecht and stays on track with Ajax | Football

It was a beautiful afternoon in Utrecht for PSV goalkeeper Joël Drommel. There has been a lot of talk this season about the keeper taken over from FC Twente last summer. Drommel received a lot of criticism and even lost his place for a while to Yvon Mvogo. Last Thursday, Drommel conceded four goals against FC Copenhagen in the Conference League, but in Utrecht he experienced one of his better days as a PSV goalkeeper. Drommel kept a clear goal and played a large part in his team’s 1-0 victory. Just before teammate Eran Zahavi’s goal, he made a good save on a header from close range from Mike van der Hoorn.

Dominance

PSV did not have an easy afternoon in the Galgenwaard. The team of the year-old trainer Roger Schmidt had a predominance, but did not manage to develop a lot of target danger. A header from Armando Obispo and a chance for Cody Gakpo were the biggest achievements before halftime. On the other side, Drommel made a fine save when Remco Balk threatened to break through.

FC Utrecht struggled with a laundry list of absentees due to injuries, a suspension and a corona outbreak. Trainer René Hake missed the seven Hidde ter Avest, Mimoun Mahi, Bart Ramselaar, Henk Veerman, Moussa Sylla, Othmane Boussaid and Mark van der Maarel.

The size of the FC Utrecht selection is sometimes questioned, but Hake was happy this time with the wide range of options he has.

St. Jago

Tommy St. Jago formed the central defense duo with Mike van der Hoorn. It marked the first starting spot and even the first game of the season for the young defender, who had to recover from a knee injury for months. Hake had made up for the absence of two right-backs by bringing Djevencio van der Kust into right-back position, while the absence of many attackers was made up for with Remco Balk and Quinten Timber on the flanks.

Tommy St. Jago in duel met Ritsu Doan.

Ⓒ ANP/HH

Despite all the absentees, FC Utrecht offered a good match. Hake’s team showed a lot of commitment and fighting spirit and PSV struggled to really push through. Immediately after the break, the home team even had the upper hand for a while. The best chance in this phase was for the strong Van der Hoorn, but Drommel saved his team from falling behind.

Moments later it was 0-1. Cody Gakpo passed the ball well and Zahavi tapped the ball in from close range. Gakpo’s thirteenth assist this season in the Eredivisie and the Israeli striker’s seventh Eredivisie goal.

Ferryman

Joey Veerman had now joined the PSV team for Mario Götze. De Volendammer, who had been in such a good mood in recent games, had initially fallen out of the starting line at the expense of Zahavi. Right up front, Ritsu Doan played instead of Noni Madueke, who had kicked off against FC Copenhagen.

The opening goal did not suddenly give PSV the wind in its sails. The people of Eindhoven continued to struggle with the fiercely fighting and hard-working FC Utrecht. With the enthusiastically sympathetic home crowd behind it, Hake’s team continued to hunt tirelessly for the equalizer. It no longer fell, so that PSV remains in the slipstream of Ajax.

PSV players deliver a happy birthday to Schmidt with victory in Utrecht

The PSV players ensured that Roger Schmidt can celebrate his 55th birthday with a good feeling on Sunday. The team from Eindhoven won the away match at FC Utrecht (0-1) and will continue to compete for the championship. “Sometimes it happens that your birthday coincides with a competition. It is then extra fun to win it, certainly in the way we did,” said Schmidt in the Galgenwaard stadium.

The German trainer was especially pleased with the discipline. “I saw my players working hard in this difficult game. Certainly if it remains 1-0 for a long time, it will not be easy. We stayed focused and I think we did a fantastic job.”

Eran Zahavi didn’t play a very good game, but scored the winning goal in the 53rd minute. “It’s no surprise that he makes it, he’s been doing that his entire career. He knows how to choose a good position, at the right time,” said Schmidt, who, in addition to the Israeli striker, was also grateful to Joël Drommel. The goalkeeper made a good save in the initial phase of the second half, with a score of 0-0, with a reflex on a header by Mike van der Hoorn. “He has had a lot of ups and downs this season. Thursday against Copenhagen was not his best day. He had a good performance today. That is important for his confidence. Don’t forget, we’ve already played 46 games this season, of which he’s played 44. And that in eight or nine months at a new club. That is a new challenge for him, to be ready every day.”

Schmidt substituted Mario Götze at half time due to minor complaints and he left Joey Veerman and Noni Madueke out of the starting squad. The German coach expects that using many players could be important in the coming period. “It’s not easy to play every three or four days. Now we have a lot of players who are immediately there when needed. Only sometimes we don’t have enough options for that, especially not defensively. That is why attacker Yorbe Vertessen had to defend in the final phase today.”

Gakpo: we should not look too much at Ajax

Gakpo believes that PSV should not look too much at Ajax in the remainder of the competition. That is what the attacker said after the important victory that his team achieved at FC Utrecht: 0-1. With eight games to go, Ajax has a lead of 2 points over PSV.

“We have been doing well in recent weeks and must continue to do so and get the most out of it,” said Gakpo, who won the last five competition matches with PSV. “Just like us, Ajax has a busy schedule. We have to get our points ourselves and then we’ll see how or what.”

Two weeks ago, Ajax lost 2-1 at Go Ahead Eagles and then escaped in the absolute final phase against first RKC Waalwijk (3-2) and then SC Cambuur (2-3). Gakpo hadn’t sat in front of the TV frustrated, he said. “It didn’t put any extra pressure on us either. It is always a difficult task at FC Utrecht. These are 3 very important points to keep on track.”

Goalkeeper Joël Drommel saved PSV in the initial phase of the second half with a header from Mike van der Hoorn. At that time the score was still 0-0. “Joel did well today. That may also be said,” said Gakpo about his keeper who does not always make a good impression this season and has already received some criticism. “Today we kept a clean sheet, which is good. We want to make dirty meters for each other. The team spirit is good and we will fight for each other. That is nice to see.”

Trainer Roger Schmidt had to smile when he was asked about the match between SC Cambuur and Ajax. “I think that’s the tenth time I’ve been asked that question after today’s game,” he said. “I didn’t see that match. I don’t care if they score in the 5th or the last minute. I saw that Ajax had a lot of goal attempts, so I think they deserved to win. We focus on ourselves and then we see what happens.”

PSV plays the last eight league matches in its own stadium against Fortuna Sittard, RKC Waalwijk, Willem II and NEC and still has to visit FC Twente, SC Cambuur, Feyenoord and PEC Zwolle.