PSV failed to reach the group stage of the Champions League. Roger Schmidt’s team had plenty of opportunities on Tuesday evening to brush away the 2-1 defeat, but no goals were scored. And so Ajax will be the only Dutch club on Thursday in the draw for the Champions League. The Dutch newspapers saw that the PSV against Benfica lacked offensive punch. The name of Luuk de Jong is also mentioned.
“What if Luuk de Jong had played at PSV last night?”, the reporter of the asks General Newspaper wonder. “Or another striker with length and head power to act as a crowbar in the last half hour or the final quarter? We will never know. But such a target man had given the number 2 of the Eredivisie an extra weapon in a hunt that now resulted in a huge disappointment.” PSV played with one more man for an hour after Lucas Verissimo’s red card. Despite this, the home side failed to score.
The newspaper saw an exciting and compelling match, which started immediately after the kick-off. “What do you radiate on such an evening? You could see the contrasts within the PSV team, also prompted by the difference in quality. Eran Zahavi, experienced player anyway. But hurried, sloppy, not ball-resistant enough in the front. Ibrahim Sangaré also started awkwardly with a predicament in the first minutes in front of his own goal, although he quickly recovered. But starting like Cody Gakpo, wow, that’s Champions League level,” it sounds like. “The kid of the club always wanted the ball. And as soon as possible, immediately turned on the turbo for a dribble on the shortest way forward. elusive. That was the word. National coach Louis van Gaal will also have watched it with interest.”
The Telegraph saw from the press stand that Benfica quickly made their intentions clear in the Philips Stadium. The experienced trainer Jorge Jesus opted for a five-man defense. “Madueke received special attention. He was constantly dealing with Morato and Grimaldo. So double coverage for the Englishman, who created the most danger this season. Cleverly wasting time and occasionally making a serious foul, Benfica got the pace out of the game as much as possible. contest.” After 32 minutes, Verissimo had to give in with his second yellow card: “From that moment on, there was an atmosphere in the stadium that PSV could hit at any moment. That image was reinforced by the chance that Madueke got just before half-time. “Goalkeeper Vlachodimos turned the bet with his body. It would be the biggest chance for PSV for a long time. With Jan Vertonghen, who entered the field to a loud whistle ten minutes after the break, Benfica nailed the defense a little further.”
The huge amounts that PSV misses from the Champions League
PSV will not enter the Champions League and will therefore miss out on large amounts.
Just like it AD also points de Volkskrant to the lack of an extra striker in the selection. “John de Jong sorted out PSV’s selection early on, leading to the Champions League threshold, but saw from the stands that the team still lacks a strong striker behind, next to or instead of Zahavi. Just when a goal was needed more than ever. Substitute Armando Bruma and Vertessen were not the impulses that PSV screamed so loudly for.” Because PSV failed to score, the club had to settle for participating in the Europa League. “According to Schmidt, both teams deserved to be admitted to the Champions League, even if they were evenly matched. Only there was only room for one on the main stage of European football.”
Also NRC saw that PSV lacked offensive punch. “PSV had twice as much ball as Benfica. From Sangaré it went to Götze, from Max to Gakpo, from Ramalho to Boscagli and back. But the value of that? No supporter who will talk about possession percentages at the coffee machine. But about Eran Zahavi’s mega opportunity. How did the striker hit the crossbar without a goalkeeper in the goal? It was the best chance of the evening, after Madueke’s one-on-one in the first half.”