In Waalwijk, PSV took the full spoils with a 1-4 victory. Halfway through the season, the team is at the top of the league table. The goal scorers were Gakpo, Mwene and Vertessen twice.
Halfway
After playing round 17, the Eredivisie season is exactly at the halfway point. PSV had to defend the lead in Waalwijk midway through the football season. With less than five minutes on the clock, the opening goal almost fell. An excellent ball from Ritsu Doan put Bruma in position to shoot, but RKC goalkeeper Vaessen was in the way. It was not made easy for PSV. The lock of the Waalwijk defense had to be slowly broken open. After a cross from Mauro JR, Doan still managed to head, but he did not get enough power behind the ball. On the opposite side, PSV had not yet been in danger, but the opening goal was still to come.
Standouts
Doan had a fine opening phase, but it ended with bad luck for the Japanese. A head-on collision forced him to be substituted. A few minutes later, Bruma also suffered. He also had to go to the side due to a muscle injury. Carlos Vinícius and Yorbe Vertessen were the substitutes. The latter brought some good news to PSV's side. Cody Gakpo delivered an excellent cross and Vertessen looked for space. With a rock-hard shot, he brought PSV into the lead. For a moment the lead seemed to get bigger, thanks to a goal by Mario Götze. The German was able to tap in after a strong move by Vinícius, but VAR intervened and cancelled the goal. The difference remained one goal at the halftime signal.
Mwene
Shortly after the kickoff of the second half did come the deserved 0-2. After a combination with Vinícius, Phillipp Mwene was able to make a flashy sprint. The Austrian was put down and PSV was allowed to concede a penalty kick, which was taken by Gakpo. After decorating the penalty kick, Mwene earned another goal of his own, and how. The Austrian stormed up from the right flank and shot the ball into the net from an almost impossible angle. A phenomenal goal and a 0-3 lead, PSV was on a roll with half an hour to play.
Shooting tent
Everything was going well on PSV's side. Even though the game had been played for quite a while, another goal came. The ball landed on the edge of the sixteen-meter area where Vertessen was standing. The Belgian shot the ball very beautifully over the goalkeeper to make his second of the evening. In the final phase RKC Waalwijk did something back. A long ball arrived, and out of nowhere the counter-goal fell. PSV did not take it and were hungry for a fifth goal. A fierce shot by Erick Gutiérrez almost went in, and the rebound almost fell to Jordan Teze. Ibrahim Sangaré also hit the post. Despite the injuries in the opening stages, PSV recovered excellently and returned to Eindhoven with three points midway through the Eredivisie season.
