PSV made a false start in the Europa League tournament. The team did get the lead against Granada CF, but had to acknowledge its superiority to the team from Spain after halftime: 1-2.
Tactical jousting
In the first half, the Eredivisie frontrunner and the number six in La Liga were evenly matched. At times Roger Schmidt's team could impose its will on Granada, but just as often it happened the other way around. A tactical game developed in which both teams created a number of chances.
Götze excels
PSV, which was without Pablo Rosario, Cody Gakpo, Eran Zahavi and Jordan Teze due to the after-effects of a corona infection, got the biggest and took advantage of it shortly before halftime. Standout Mario Götze, who earlier put Donyell Malen and Mauro Junior free in front of the goalie, shot his team into the lead from a free kick. The German playmaker saw Denzel Dumfries lay back, ran in and then left goalkeeper Molina defenseless with a hard dropkick: 1-0.
Grip
With that lead in his pocket, Schmidt tried to get a better grip on the Spaniards after halftime. The coach substituted goal scorer Götze for Nick Viergever, but soon saw Granada come alongside. From a rehearsed free kick, Molina headed in the 1-1 through Yvon Mvogo.
New setback
After 66 minutes, things got even worse. Machis escaped the attention of the PSV defense and left Mvogo with a placed shot in the far corner: 1-2. An answer from PSV quickly followed, but the post stood in the way of an equalizer from Malen. It proved no impetus for a late offensive in the deserted Philips Stadium. A week from now, PSV will play its second group game against Omonia Nicosia.
