PSV back in contention after beating Wolfsburg
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Article summary
PSV 2-0 Wolfsburg
Second-half goals from Jürgen Locadia and Luuk de Jong rebooted PSV's campaign, enabling the Dutch side to leapfrog their guests in Group B.
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- Jürgen Locadia breaks deadlock with composed finish ten minutes after half-time
- Fellow forward Luuk de Jong clinches win with 86th-minute effort
- Visiting coach Dieter Hecking unable to solve PSV puzzle
- Dutch champions make amends for 2-0 loss in Wolfsburg
- Next games: CSKA Moskva v Wolfsburg, Man. United v PSV (25 November)
PSV Eindhoven revived their UEFA Champions League Group B ambitions by beating Wolfsburg with second-half goals from Jürgen Locadia and Luuk de Jong to avenge an identical matchday three defeat by the same opponents.
Striker Locadia's 55th-minute effort sent the home team on their way to a crucial victory that takes them into second place in Group B, above Wolfsburg – who led the group at kick-off – on goals scored and one point behind Manchester United.
Jeffrey Bruma had the first attempt with a rasping long-range drive that Diego Benaglio tipped round the post at full stretch. At the other end Jeroen Zoet denied Bas Dost from close range as the visitors enjoyed more possession without creating many openings. In fact, the best chance of a tense first half arrived moments before the break, Benaglio making a fine low save from Locadia's shot.
It was close to the hour mark when the game really came to life. Skipper De Jong played a super ball behind the Wolfsburg defence and Locadia placed a left-foot strike just inside the near post. Suddenly there was more zip to Dieter Hecking's side's play, while the Dutch champions looked more dangerous on the counter.
Vieirinha replaced the quiet André Schürrle, Nicklas Bendtner took over from Dost and Julian Draxler came on for Josuha Guilavogui as the Bundesliga team tried to get back into the match. But the next opportunity fell to PSV, Adam Maher heading over from close in.
And having held firm without too much difficulty, Phillip Cocu's men secured the points four minutes from time. From Andrés Guardado's ball down the left, forward De Jong got in behind the Wolfsburg defence, surged into the box and lobbed Benaglio from an angle.
Key player: Jürgen Locadia
The 21-year-old is a powerful, direct player with a fierce shot. In a fairly tame opening period he always appeared the most likely PSV scorer and his eventual goal required accuracy and a calm head. Although he misses the finesse of the absent Maxime Lestienne, he proved PSV can trouble UEFA Champions League defences without the services of their Belgian winger.
Benaglio catches the eye
The Wolfsburg No1 did not have a huge amount to do, yet whenever called into action he responded with aplomb. The treatment he needed early in the first half after a brave save at Locadia's feet did not affect his performance as he subsequently made a couple of vital stops. He was also helpless when the same player finally prevailed after the restart.
Doing it by the book
They say the key to success in the UEFA Champions League group stage is to win your home games and pick up at least a point on your travels. Both PSV and Wolfsburg so far have a 100% record on their own turf – now one of them has to prove their mettle by not returning home empty-handed next time round.
Reaction
Phillip Cocu, PSV coach
Winning was the first assignment so 2-0 is an extra bonus. We switched to 5-4-1 to keep the spaces small and to prevent Wolfsburg counterattacking. Today we played with maturity and consistency. It was a team effort; we didn't give away chances. The intention was to put pressure on the ball, with a quick transition from attack to defence. We had attacking ambitions but defending is also important. It was a team achievement. We're back in the hunt; this is an important win.
Dieter Hecking, Wolfsburg coach
Congratulations to PSV, they deserved to win today. The first 30 minutes we controlled the game and PSV didn't do much, only one or two shots on goal. Then we couldn't hold the ball any more, we lost possession, we couldn't move forward. You can't get points playing like that; we tried to protect our point without success and it's annoying that we conceded a second goal. In the next match we have to play our own game and give a better account of ourselves.