The football season in the Netherlands couldn’t have started any better.
Two of the biggest teams in the country, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, met in the Dutch Super Cup. Also known as the Johan Cruyff Shield, this game created lofty expectations among the fans prior to kick-off. And while there were no goals during the course of the match, there were plenty of chances for both sides. And to make things even more exciting, the tie was solved on a penalty shootout. Feyenoord ultimately came out on top by a 6-5 score.
A largely uneventful first half ends with goalless
But let’s dive into the match at first. PSV got off to a better start and only needed four minutes to create the first scoring opportunity. It was Luuk de Jong who nodded the ball home from close range, but his effort allowed Justin Bijlow to make an impressive save. It wouldn’t the only chance PSV would create, though. Donyell Malen also came close to score with a header in the 24th minute, while Sam Larsson answered for Feyenoord three minutes later. Both attempts went wide.
Considering the lack of accuracy on both sides in the attacking third, it wasn’t a surprise to see the first half end with a scoreless draw.
Things open up, but neither team broke the deadlock
It seemed the locker room talk during the half-time break was strong, as both teams showed a revamped attitude in the second half. PSV created perhaps the best chances in the entire match in the 52nd minute, when de Jong found the back of the net but the referee, Serdar Gözübüyük, ruled the goal out due to a foul. It wasn’t a clear foul, but the decision was the right one from the referee. That didn’t slow PSV down, though, and the reigning Eredivisie champions kept creating chances. de Jong and Hirving Lozano – who came off the bench – had some interesting opportunities to score, but could not capitalise them.
As for Feyenoord, they were a bit inconsistent but still threatened the opposing defence. Sofyan Amrabat and Calvin Verdonk both had chances to find the back the net, but their attempts went wide. Tonny Vilhena had the best opportunity to score nearing the end of the match, but his attempt from the penalty spot went straight to the keeper’s hands. That could have been the winning goal, but instead, the tie had to be solved via penalties.
A penalty shoot-out to remember
Arguably, the penalty shootout was the best part of this game. Both sides were tied 5-5 after six penalties each, and that’s when things got crazy. Jeroen Zoet stopped Amrabat’s attempt, so PSV had everything on their favour to win the title.. they only needed to convert both penalties, and that would have been enough. But Angelino sent his attempt over the crossbar, and Bijlow saved Pablo Rosario’s shot. Jordy Clasie had the responsibility to close things out, and he didn’t shy away from it. He sent Zoet the other way and gave Feyenoord the title in dramatic fashion.
Feyenoord won the Super Cup for the second consecutive season. Last year, they defeated Vitesse in another thrilling penalty shoot-out (1-1 during the 90 minutes and 4-2 from the spot). Could this be a sign of things to come during the upcoming season? We don’t know that for sure. But we do know that Feyenoord are ready to recover the Eredivisie title they won back in the 2016-17 season. It was a matter of just watching them play.
Match Report
PSV: Zoet; Dumfries, Schwaab, Viergever, Angelino; Rosario, Pereiro, Hendrix; Bergwjin (Mauro Junior, 83′), de Jong, Malen (Lozano, 59′).
Subs not used: Room (GK), Gakpo, Gudmunsson, Isimat-Mirin, Luckassen, Ramselaar, Romero, Sadilek, Teze
Feyenoord: Bijlow; St. Juste (Nieuwkoop, 85′), Botteghin, van der Heijden, Verdonk; Toornstra (Amrabat, 62′), Clasie, Vilhena; Berghuis, van Persie (Vente, 84′), Larsson
Subs not used: ten Hove (GK), Vermeer (GK), van Beek, Malacia, Kokcu, Geertruida, El Hankouri, Burger, Boetius
Goals: None
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (NED)
Yellow Cards: Angelino (PSV); St. Juste, Verdonk (FEY)
Red Cards: None
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