"In the first instance, of course you want to win, but I am extremely happy with the way we played." Mark van Bommel opened the press conference after PSV - BATE Borisov (3-0) with those words, referring to the convincing game, with which his team qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Atmosphere
"You can also see it in the atmosphere in the stadium," Van Bommel then complimented the PSV crowd that was behind the team almost relentlessly. "We also want to play a certain way. If that then comes out that way in phases, it's nice. Sometimes the task is that if it doesn't run, you still make sure you win the game. We had to do that in Zwolle, for example."
Elusive
Wednesday night, PSV was the superior side for almost the entire match. Only the first five minutes Van Bommel's team was under pressure for a while. After Hirving Lozano 's free kick (crossbar), that pressure was immediately gone and PSV played with confidence. "Intangible things like that sometimes you need to turn games around. After a while you start to feel that as a team and you know that you have to strike just then," said Van Bommel, who also briefly reflected on the state of Dutch football.
Dutch football
Indeed, in addition to PSV, Ajax also qualified for the group stage. "It is very important for Dutch football. I think these points will stay for five years. It would be nice if we can add a lot of points to that. Whether I have a preferred opponent in tomorrow's draw? No, when you have that, it almost never comes true."