PSV’s hopes of making it out of the Champions League group stage may just have been saved by a last minute goal in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla.
U.S. men’s national team stars Sergino Dest and Malik Tillman started for the Dutch side while Ricardo Pepi came in off the bench as PSV looked to bounce back from a Champions League-opening loss to Arsenal. And it took every last bit of both effort and luck for them to bounce back as they earned a point that may just keep their Champions League campaign alive.
A goal from Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj capped a wild 10 minutes early in the second half, giving Sevilla the lead before PSV four back. Tillman earned a penalty late on, one which was converted by Luuk de Jong but, just one minute after the Dutch side leveled the game, Sevilla left them shellshocked as Youssef En-Nesyri scored what looked like a late winner.
PSV then snatched a point at the death as Jordan Teze jammed home a goal from a 95th-minute set piece to seal a split of the points.
It was a relatively tame first half, but everything heated up in the second as the two teams traded chance after chance in the first 15 minutes.
Sevilla saw a goal ruled out in the 52nd minute after Adria Pedrosa was deemed to have handled the ball on his way to scoring, leading to a member of the club’s coaching staff to be sent off for arguing the referee’s decision
It only continued to go crazy from there as Sevilla’s En-Nesyri rattled a shot off the crossbar before Tillman missed a big chance of his own on the other end. PSV then hit the post themselves as Noa Lang saw his shot just bounce out in the 62nd minute to continue the chaos.
Sevilla, though, got the goal they needed in the 68th minute. On a ball floated in by Jesus Navas, Sergio Ramos jumped over Tillman to head the ball back across the box. Gudelj was there to smash the ball home, helping Sevilla win the game and secure a vital three points away from home.
Tillman, though, would get his revenge on Ramos, who fouled the American in the box to give Sevilla a lifeline. De Jong buried the spotkick in the 86th minute, seemingly earning the hosts a key point as they push for Champions League survival.
The key word, though, is “seemingly”. Sevilla would go right back down the field after kick off and restore their advantage, with En-Nesyri scoring to make it 2-1.
It didn’t stop there, though, as it was Sevilla’s turn to give the game away. Teze was able to push a shot home in the game’s dying moments to cap a chaotic and crazy 2-2 draw.
PSV will feel hard done even with the late goal, having created chance after chance while failing to take each and every single one of them until De Jong’s penalty.
The hosts outshot their opponents 26-9 on the day while also keeping possession for nearly 65 percent of the match. The only stat that counts, though, is goals, and, in that one, they were all level 2-2.
As a result, PSV are now on one point through their first two Champions League games, leaving them still with plenty of work to do in the final four matches.
Lens are level atop the group, with the French side stunning Arsenal in their match on Tuesday. The Gunners, of course, sit second thanks to their win over PSV in their opener while Sevilla now have two points, putting them third.
That leaves PSV fourth heading into their clash with Lens, which may just feel like a must-win considering the state of the group.
Dest and Tillman continue to get chances to shine with PSV as USMNT camp looms, with both potentially playing significant minutes in the upcoming friendlies.
The U.S. will face Germany and Ghana in this month’s international break, with Dest expected to start once again in the right back position. Tillman, meanwhile, could feature in a central role, especially if Gio Reyna isn’t fully fit in time for camp.
As for Pepi, his goals with the national team will keep him in the USMNT picture, but he’ll need to at least challenge PSV starter Luuk de Jong eventually if he wants to continue to push Folarin Balogun with the national team.
Will be frustrated by the missed opportunities, and the fact that he got dunked on by Ramos, but he got his revenge by drawing the foul. It was a game that showed what he can do when given the chance, but also one that showed that he can use more refinement when it comes to those final moments in the attacking third.
Looked solid defensively and offered his usual attacking output. Played behind left-winger Lang, who was PSV’s best player, as the Dutch side did well down that side of the field.
Came on late as PSV chased the goal, and they did eventually get it thanks to Teze.