PSV’s European adventure is over. The team from Eindhoven needed a miracle against Sevilla on Thursday after last week’s 3-0 and failed to qualify for the next round of the Europa League: 2-0. The team of trainer Ruud van Nistelrooij made a powerless impression in the first half. After the break it was much more pressing and it came very close due to hits from Luuk de Jong and Fábio Silva, but elimination could not be prevented. Low point was the attack of a PSV fan on the goalkeeper of Sevilla. Mauro Júnior received a red card in the absolute final phase.
Van Nistelrooij himself returned to the bench at PSV, after he had to miss last weekend’s game against FC Utrecht (2-2) due to illness. Ibrahim Sangaré was also present again, but he started on the bench. In midfield, a basic place was reserved for Érick Gutiérrez. At the back right, Van Nistelrooij called on Phillipp Mwene, as a result of which Jordan Teze moved to the bench. With the visitors, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou dropped out shortly before kick-off. He was replaced by Marko Dmitrovic.
?? Beautiful farewell to ???????????????????????? Cody Gakpo! ?? pic.twitter.com/zXjSn0nGTd
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) February 23, 2023
Even before the first whistle had sounded, the ‘all or nothing’ echoed from the stands in the Philips Stadium. PSV knew what to expect after last week’s disgrace at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. The battle plan soon became clear, as Luuk de Jong was frequently sought by the air. However, this did not lead to great opportunities. After a minute, De Jong had the ball in front, but his header was cracked by a defender. Alex Telles fired a free kick on behalf of Sevilla on the roof of the goal after a foul by Gutiérrez.
The visitors did not seem to want to participate in an open match in any way, which led to world champion Matheus Cunha being yellow after frequent time wasting. The highlight after a poor first half was Cody Gakpo’s farewell. The attacker, who made the switch to Liverpool this winter, came to say goodbye to the Philips Stadium at halftime. He was treated to a beautiful banner. In the second half, PSV pressed a little more, which immediately led to a shot opportunity for Xavi Simons. However, the winger could not give his effort any strength and direction, so it did not cause any problems for Dmitrovic.
Van Nistelrooij decided to intervene and to take Patrick van Aanholt and Gutiérrez to the side for Mauro Júnior and Fábio Silva. It led to the spaces on the field becoming large. De Jong headed just wide and Ivan Rakitic hit the crossbar hard. Twenty minutes before the end, Lucas Ocampos came on the line. The former Ajax player was partly responsible for the loss last week with a goal and an assist. The Argentinian saw how Johan Bakayoko failed to score twice. The flank player first encountered Dmitrovic and then shot wildly in front. Five minutes later it was hit.
The miscreant who attacked the goalkeeper of Sevilla is removed from the field. Serious incident with potentially far-reaching consequences. #psvsev pic.twitter.com/sq6foTCpMI
— Jeroen Kapteijns (@JeroenKapteijns) February 23, 2023
After a deep ball, both Silva and De Jong managed to win their header, after which the latter finished with some fortune. Two minutes later, the comeback seemed to get its final color with De Jong’s second goal, but that goal was rejected due to Silva’s offside earlier in the attack. The same Silva was still responsible for the 2-0 deep into injury time. After a fan of PSV attacked the keeper of Seville and ended up in a ground fight, the Portuguese made the final agreement. For Van Nistelrooij’s team, the title fight and the TOTO KNVB Cup remain. FC Twente will be visiting next Sunday.