Ajax have shown that, after their disastrous start to the season, they can compete with PSV Eindhoven, the remaining leaders of the Eredivisie. De Topper, as this Dutch football classic is called, It ended in a 1-1 draw at the Johan Cruyff Arenaa tie only after equal matches between both teams.
PSV won their first 17 league games but in the last three rounds they have picked up two draws which could allow second-placed Feyenoord to cut their still-large lead to ten points. Ajax, for its part, continues its climb and has temporarily caught up with AZ Alkmaar in fifth place after 12 consecutive games without losing.
The 5-2 in Eindhoven, a turning point
A streak that started exactly after the ‘small hand’ (5-2) at the Philips Stadion against PSV in October. After that disaster, John van’t Schip He took the bench of an Ajax team that had time to save the season by qualifying for the Champions League qualifiers.
A lot has changed since that De Topper of the first round. PSV, with still Barcelona player Sergiño Dest on the left side, came out ready to assert his authority in the Eredivisie, but Ajax, entered the debut in their ranks of Jordan Henderson (ex-Liverpool) after his brief stint in Saudi Arabia, leveled the match and even took the lead in the 18th minute on a counter started by Steven Berghuis with a great deep pass outside.
Berghuis gives first
Brian Brobbey, Ajax’s best player, leaned too far before goalkeeper Walter Benítez left, but he knows how to stop a defender and wait for the arrival from behind the Berghuis itself to put a ball in the net.
The rivalry produced an interesting pulse of styles. PSV dominated the ball and tried to create danger in constant support, while Ajax waited for their chance to recover and immediately exit the counter to find Brobbey who did a major job of offloading balls to his teammates.
Luuk de Jong’s 18th goal
But in the other area Luuk de Jong, who tied for the first time he had when he crossed an assist from Ismael Saibari with a good touch on his left foot (34′). It was the former Sevilla and Barcelona striker’s 18th goal in the Eredivisie.
PSV leveled the game when, despite having the initiative, they were not putting Ajax in trouble. After a break The balance is maintained, each team plays their tricks. The goal went through Brobbey’s boot and over De Jong’s head, who in the 67th minute made it 1-2 with a beautiful header into the far corner.
Brobbey holding hands
The response was immediate and carried out, no less, by Brobbey, who ended the one-on-one with Benítez.
They were the two clearest chances in the second half together an attempt at an unrivaled position by Kenneth Taylor that increased after Brobbey delayed the ball with his back to the goal.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
