PSV remains unapproachable in the Eredivisie for the time being. The team of trainer Roger Schmidt did not play a great game while visiting AZ, but the Eindhoven team left possession to the home team and were very efficient themselves: 0-3. It was PSV’s first win over AZ after four league defeats in a row in which they did not even score. It was also the first time since the period August-September 2019 under Mark van Bommel that PSV won four consecutive league matches.
AZ had more of the ball in the first half, but Olivier Boscagli made the difference in the fifteenth minute with a great blast from distance. After a hard shot by Cody Gakpo and a huge chance for Vangelis Pavlidis on the other side, it was the PSV defender who broke the game open. The Frenchman lashed out from about thirty meters and shot the ball with a hard line into the intersection behind debuting goalkeeper Peter Vindahl Jensen.
?? Olivier Boscagli, everyone. ??
?? ESPN
#?? #azpsv pic.twitter.com/nVR9qcxtCK— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) September 11, 2021
Pascal Jansen’s team went looking for the equalizer and pinned PSV in their own half. That led to a good chance after 26 minutes: Jesper Karlsson shot the ball wide of Joël Drommel’s goal under pressure from André Ramalho. A chaotic moment in the PSV penalty area did not give AZ a great chance because Pavlidis was unable to find a teammate. The home team hoped for a penalty after a duel between Zakaria Aboukhlal and Philipp Max, but neither Allard Lindhout nor the VAR wanted that.
The second half in the AFAS Stadium seemed like a repeat of the first act: AZ had the ball and PSV had a hard time getting rid of their own half. Schmidt intervened ten minutes after the break and pulled Eran Zahavi and Noni Madueke to the side, in favor of Bruma and Ritsu Doan. Five minutes later, the German made two more substitutions. Gakpo and Marco van Ginkel were relieved by Vertessen and Erick Gutierrez. It was his first minutes on behalf of PSV for the Mexican since March of this year.
?? @psv AZ seems to give the neck blow here, after a nice solo by Yorbe Vertessen.#azpsv pic.twitter.com/sztHc1bFWU
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) September 11, 2021
Just like in the first half, AZ ultimately did nothing with the many ball possessions and PSV doubled the advantageous margin. Vertessen squeezed past Bruno Martins Indi and shot the ball low and flawlessly into the far corner: 0-2. AZ no longer had an answer to that, although Jansen tried in vain to force a connecting goal with four substitutions. AZ even had to concede a third goal against. Doan curled the ball beautifully into the top corner seven minutes before the end and finally closed the game: 0-3.
PSV, which will play a home game against Real Sociedad in the Europa League next Thursday, will spend the night with twelve points from four matches as the leader of the Eredivisie and will play at home against Feyenoord next Sunday. AZ has three points after three matches and is waiting for an away game against Heracles Almelo the same day. Jansen’s team will first play against Randers FC in the Conference League on Thursday.