Malik Tillman got his first start for PSV and made it count as he scored and assisted on a goal in their win over Volendam to keep them undefeated in the Dutch Eredivisie.
PSV 3-1 Volendam
PSV Eindhoven made it seven wins in a row as they came away with the win over Volendam at Philips Stadion to keep them at the top of the Eredivisie standings.
Malik Tillman started his first game for the team and went the distance as he completed 75 percent of his passes, won 13 duels, made two tackles, created four chances, and took four shots in an impressive display. Ricardo Pepi came on to play 20 minutes while Sergino Dest stayed on the bench. On the other side, Zach Booth played the final 18 minutes for Volendam.
The hosts were on the attack from the start and opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Noa Lang played the ball out wide to Johan Bakayoko on the right side. The winger was able to lure two Volendam defenders toward him which allowed him to make the crucial pass to the wide-open Dutchman and put his shot into the back of the net.
For all the dominance PSV showed in the first half, their only mistake was not putting more of their chances away as they headed to halftime with a 1-0 lead.
The Red and Whites went on to double their lead just a couple of minutes into the second half when Tillman took control of the ball after a thrown and a perfect pass over the top of Volendam’s backline to substitute Ruud Gil as he put his shot past goalkeeper Mio Backhaus.
The visitors were obviously outclassed in this contest but were given a chance to cut the deficit when the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty. There was no argument from PSV as Olivier Boscagli was the guilty party for tripping up Lequincio Zeefuik in the box. Calvin Twigt would convert the spot-kick in the 76th minute.
Despite being a goal down, Volendam did themselves no favor in the 88th minute when their defender Benaissa Benamar was sent off for a second yellow card as he tussled with Pepi, tossing the lanky striker to the ground.
This only gave PSV the opportunity to put the game to bed, and they did in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Tillman grabbed a well-deserved goal for his efforts on the night. Pepi did well to force his marker to head the ball in the path of the Bayern Munich loanee as he streaked into the box to fire his shot into the goal.
A man-of-the-match performance for Tillman as PSV heads into the Champions League at midweek brimming with confidence.
The team remains atop the Eredivisie standings with maximum points from seven games.
Notes
Elsewhere in the Eredivisie, Agustin Anello started and played 74 minutes for Spart Rotterdam as a stoppage-time goal sent them to a 2-1 loss to Excelsior.
Philippe Sandler started and played 72 minutes for NEC Nijmegen but they were no challenge for Vitesse as they went down in a 3-1 defeat.
Djordje Mihalovic played seven minutes and change for AZ Alkmaar as they recorded a 4-0 win over Fortuna Sittard to leave them two points behind PSV in the standings.
Anthony Fontana was a spectator on the bench for PEC Zwolle in their 2-1 defeat to Heracles.
Down in the Eerste Divisie, John Hilton started at left-back for Dordrecht as they shared the points with Eindhoven following a 1-1 draw.
Justin Che played a couple of minutes for ADO Den Haag as they came away with a 3-0 win over MVV.
Den Bosch was 3-0 winners over Groningen as Gedion Zelalem played 82 minutes for the Blue White Dragons.
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