The Eredivisie is all about PSV these days as they continue to run away with the league.
PSV 2 – 1 Alkmaar
It was another win for the reigning Eredivisie champions where Ricardo Pepi scored the deciding goal, but it also came at a cost to the team, and maybe the USMNT, as Sergino Dest limped off the field with a thigh injury that the team says could see him sidelined for a while. Pepi went the distance while Dest came off in the 57th minute.
The visitors had a sniff at goal in the 12th minute when Peer Koopmeiners unleashed a screamer, but it was blocked by a very brave and later very sore PSV defender. It didn’t matter though because within a minute, the hosts’ net was breached. Billy van Duijl latched onto a cross and struck it perfectly from the edge of the 18-yard box. The PSV keeper, attempted to knock the ball off target but was unsuccessful and watched it sail into the top right corner of his goal.
As the game clock was about to strike 45 minutes played, the ball struck the back of the AZ net, but it wasn’t a Red-White who did the damage. Off of a PSV corner, Troy Parrott attempted to clear the ball from his area but his poor kick went in the wrong direction and into the middle of the net. The teams went into the intermission all square.
Dest came off in the 57th minute and three minutes later Pepi got his head to the ball from very close range but Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro made a very nice save from the effort. Two minutes later, the same; another header, another good save.
Four minutes before the 90, Ivan Perisic played the ball through the middle for his American colleague, who outpaced a pair of defenders and as he entered the box, lets off a shot the ends up inside the goal, finally beating the AZ keeper on his third attempt.
The win leaves the defending Dutch champions on 68 points, which is 19 points better off than second place Feyenoord with just eight league games remaining. PSV could clinch the title before the end of the month. Up next however they’ll go up against Nijmegen on Saturday.
