Ajax win one of the dullest Klassiekers of all time
All eyes were on Rotterdam this weekend as Feyenoord faced Ajax for the one hundredth time in the Klassieker in Rotterdam.
With both teams on equal points, there was everything to play for in the hunt for the league. Both sides have played entertaining football this season – both domestically and in European competitions, so expectations were understandably high.
The match could not have started in a more disappointing way. Ajax failed to show any of their Champions League form and failed to create a single chance in the entire first half. Feyenoord were also incredibly sloppy. Neither team created anything of substance in the first half – which ended with a total of 0 shots on target.
Just after half-time, Ajax broke the deadlock in a way that typified everything about the first half. Three misplaced passed in midfield allowed Ajax to turn the ball over and Tadic’s speculative cross-come-shot was turned into his own net by Senesi for a Feyenoord own goal.
One would expect an improvement in the second half, but it was arguably even worse than the first.
Both teams again struggled to hold any coherent passages of play and Feyenoord resorted to claiming a loose penalty after a harsh handball. They must’ve felt hard-done by as Ajax were awarded a penalty at the other end – Tadic scoring to record their only shot on target for the entire game.
Simple victory in Waalwijk keeps PSV on top
PSV went to Waalwijk where they faced struggling side RKC, who are 15th in the league. As expected, PSV dominated from the start and were clearly the superior side.
They didn’t have it completely easily though, as PSV lost Bruma and Ritsu Doan to injuries within the first half-an-hour. Vertessen came off the bench and five minutes later had scored the first goal of the game – firing his shot into the top left corner.
PSV went in at half-time with a 1-0 lead. They added to it quickly in the second-half, Gakpo dispatching a penalty after Meulensteen brought down Mwene in the penalty area.
Mwene got in on the act after the hour mark, scoring from an almost impossible angle after his shot was directed off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Vertessen concluded the game with his second goal – from a corner – putting PSV 4-0 up. A RKC consolation late on was scored by Odgaard – meaning a final score of 4-1 was enough to keep PSV on track at the top of the Eredivisie.
Elsewhere, Heerenveen defeated Cambuur by two goals to one, whilst Nijmegen moved into the top half of the table after their 2-0 win away at Go Ahead Eagles.
