Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 10:46 PM• Last update: 23:04

PSV seized the Johan Cruijff Scale on Saturday evening. In Amsterdam, Roger Schmidt’s team was 0-4 too strong for Ajax, due to two goals from Noni Madueke, one from Yorbe Vertessen and one from Mario Götze. football zone assesses the basic players and the substitutes who participated at least half with a score.

Ajax numbers

Remko Key spring: 5.5
There was enough wrong in the defense at Ajax, but the question is also justified whether Pasveer could not have done more with the first two goals: after all, he was knocked twice in the short corner. The match started for Pasveer with a long shot that he did not catch, after which he also sent some risky passes. He alternated those with beautiful kicks; in the break he made a good save on shots from Van Ginkel and Madueke.

Noussair Mazraoui: 7
Mazraoui kept Gakpo under control and in possession of the ball was of value to Ajax. He was unimpressed under pressure and did a good job on the right flank. A wonderful pass to Haller with the outside of the foot in the fiftieth minute was probably the highlight of his game.

Jurrien Timber: 6,5
Before the 0-2, Timber ran after the ball instead of in a straight line to the defense, Marciano Vink noted afterwards, so that Ajax had one man less in PSV’s counterattack. It was one of the few things Timber can be blamed for afterwards. Of all Ajax players, he sent the most passes (64) and successful passes (57), won most of his duels and had some good ball conquests. He also handled risky passes from Pasveer well.

Lisandro Martinez: 6
It is very disappointing for Martínez that he played a negative leading role in several PSV goals. He let Madueke pass too easily at the 0-1, failed to block Madueke at the 0-2 and before the 0-3 he captured the ball beautifully from Götze, but then handed it in again . Furthermore, Martínez was very strong in the duels and he also played properly on the ball.

Nicolas Tagliafico: 3
The red card from Tagliafico is logically his most discussed moment of the game: in the fortieth minute he made a rash tackle on Ramalho’s ankles out of frustration, after which he also seemed to give Van Ginkel a slight headbutt. But it was not the only moment when Tagliafico disappointed for Ajax. Before the 0-1, Madueke was able to walk past him due to an incorrectly timed sliding. Tagliafico did send a good cross to Klaassen after nineteen minutes, who headed just over.

Ryan Gravenberch: 6
Gravenberch showed the intention to make something of it at Ajax. His actions on the ball were too often unsuccessful. He steamed up and then sent a dirty pass, or he let the ball get stolen. It was commendable that Gravenberch looked for the offensive solutions, because that was also necessary. Before the disallowed 1-1, he sent a good pass to Berghuis; moments later, he made a useful foul on Götze after Mazraoui’s potentially dangerous loss of possession.

Davy Klaassen: 6
Klaassen was sacrificed after Tagliafico’s red card and therefore only participated in one half. In this he was changeable: Klaassen liked Gravenberch and Haller a few times and put Sangaré off the ball in a clever way, but sometimes lost the ball too easily in midfield.

Daley Blind: 7
Blind often sought the depths. It didn’t always work, but often it did. A wonderful cross pass to Tadic in the fifth minute already led to a great opportunity for Ajax. After that, the good warm-up passes or deep passes continued to follow each other in rapid succession. Especially with Tadic, Blind had a good connection. In the second half Blind was a little less in the piece.

Steven Berghuis: 5
Berghuis played a difficult game. The attacker who came over from Feyenoord could have done himself a good service by scoring early, but hit the bar. Before the disallowed 1-1, he delivered a sharp pass to Tadic and that was not his only good attacking pass, but it went wrong too often in the combination.

Sebastien Haller: 4.5
The crowd cheering at Haller’s substitution was painful for the striker. If the disallowed had counted 1-1, his handsome heel ball and cold-blooded finish would probably have given him a big boost in confidence. But instead, he seemed to be playing less and less well. He fell short when it came to football: in the small space he handed in the balls too easily. Because his assumptions were wrong, potential danger quickly passed. Twelve minutes after the break he did send a tight pass to Mazraoui, who got a good shot; moments later, Haller was replaced by David Neres.

Dusan Tadic: 6
The captain of Ajax was particularly involved in the danger of Ajax in the opening phase. With a nice pass to Berghuis, who headed against the bar, he stood out early in the game. Moments later, at the disallowed 1-1, he delivered a good pass to goal scorer Haller. After Haller’s substitution, Tadic took over as striker and failed to score, seven minutes before the end, when he encountered Drommel. It was one of his few contributions after the break.

Devyne Rensch: 7
The substitute had to fill the void left by Tagliafico after his red card. He started well, winning a duel with Boscagli and sending a nice bow ball to Mazraoui in the penalty area. He then moved into midfield and reached Berghuis in a clever way. Sixteen minutes before the end, he beat Teze in a duel in the sixteen.

PSV figures

Joel Drommel: 8
The fact that PSV kept a clean sheet was largely due to Drommel. With a clever reflex he tapped a header from Berghuis against the crossbar in the fifth minute; seven minutes before the end he stretches very quickly after a hard shot from Tadic from close range. In between, Drommel scored well after long balls from Ajax: he assessed the situations well and was in time to nip the danger in the bud. Drommel’s set pieces and passes could have been better at times. .

Phillipp Mwene: 5
The right back was replaced in the break and that was a logical choice for trainer Roger Schmidt. Mwene was not well in the game. For example, he was toddling in the sixteen-meter area by Tadic, after which Mwene went to the ground and the attacker of Ajax fell over him. Mwene should be happy that Björn Kuipers did not award a penalty. In the eleventh minute, Mwene was strong in a header duel in midfield; eight minutes later he had a nice cross pass in the house. However, he lost track of the first half.

Andre Ramalho: 7
Ramalho started the game hesitantly, by just handing the ball in to Berghuis after eight minutes; Drum saved the day. After that, the summer purchase came into the game better. He blocked a shot from Blind, shielded the ball well under pressure, occasionally sent a good deep pass and was strong in the duels, especially in the second half.

Olivier Boscagli: 7
Boscagli was the man with the most ball contacts (88) and defensive plays (6) on the field; at PSV he was the man with the most ball conquests. Three minutes before the end, Boscagli almost topped off his good performance with a surprising goal from a long shot. A defensive highlight was the way Boscagli held his ground halfway through the first half in a duel with Berghuis.

Philip Max: 6
The left back played a fairly inconspicuous game. He was unable to impress with good crosses, but mainly kept his direct opponent Steven Berghuis in check.

Ibrahim Sangare: 7.5
The breaker in PSV’s midfield is sometimes criticized for his footballing qualities, but at times turned away well from opponents. More important, however, was his physical strength in midfield duels; Klaassen had a difficult evening because of Sangaré. After an hour he was replaced by Davy Pröpper.

Mario Gotze: 8
He determined the final score with a wonderful shot into the top right corner, but Götze’s most important contribution was the acrobatic way he held the ball in his own half before the 0-2. He kept high pressure and gave his teammates time to connect. Götze also sometimes got stuck, but overall played a strong game, in which he looked for the attacking solutions and made the game seem easy.

Marco van Ginkel: 6,5
The PSV captain should have scored in the final phase of the second half, when he appeared one-on-one with Pasveer, but his shot was too weak. Van Ginkel was important in the preparation for the 0-1, because he found the space with Madueke. He was also of value with his running gear and interventions.

Noni Madueke: 8.5
Ajax could not get a grip on Madueke, the man in top form at PSV. The dribbler can go both inside and outside and is therefore an amazing weapon for the people of Eindhoven. After a fantastic move at speed, beating Martínez and Tagliafico, he opened the scoring; he also completed the 0-2 with conviction, after serving Zahavi himself and looking for space. Eighteen minutes before the end, Madueke, still at top speed, launched a counterattack and ran into Pasveer. It was his last contribution, because after that he was substituted.

Eran Zahavi: 6
The PSV striker played an important role prior to the 0-2. He ducked to the sidelines and found Madueke, who scored. Zahavi looked calm on the ball at times, but gave it in too easily at other times. He was replaced during the break.

Cody Gakpo: 6
The first danger of the match came from Gakpo, but after that he played a limited role. He operated Vertessen prior to the 0-3. On the whole, his contribution was actually too limited, because PSV’s attacks were mainly on the right flank.

Yorbe Vertessen: 7.5
The substitute became the first Belgian since Toby Alderweireld in 2012 to score in the Johan Cruijff Scale. His goal, a good shot into the right corner, was the culmination of a fine substitution; just before that, he kept a good overview and enabled Madueke to shoot. After his goal, he put Van Ginkel face to face with Pasveer with a good header and sent a through ball to Götze, which made it 0-4.

Jordan Teze: 6.5
The substitute received a yellow card in the second half for a trick dive, but otherwise had a nice substitution. Teze was good with the ball: three minutes before the end he went around the outside, but his cross did not reach. Teze gasps Mwene in the neck in the battle for a starting spot.