PSV lift Eredivise, Ajax fall short by a point

EINDHOVEN: PSV Eindhoven on Sunday grabbed Eredivise on Sunday after beating Sparta Rotterdam 3-1 for a second season a row.

Their closest rival Ajax, another Dutch football giant, were one point and remained, although they overcame Twente 2-0.

It also means the two top sides have also qualified for the Champions League – the prestigious European club football competition.

Eredivise is the top football league in The Netherlands.

On the other hand, Feyenoord can also eye a Champions League spot, as they are eligible to participate in the qualifying round, thanks to clinching third spot in Eredivise.

Feyenoord were already assured of the third spot. Hence, Sunday’s 2-0 loss against Heerenveen did not affect their position.

FINAL HURDLE

PSV wouldn’t have won the league if they were not able to muster a win against Sparta Rotterdam. In fact, Ajax would have been crowned as the champions because of their victory against Twente.

However, PSV’s Luuk de Jong and Malik Tillman scored second-half goals to help retain the Dutch league title in a nervous 3-1 victory at Sparta Rotterdam as their side held off Ajax’s challenge in Sunday’s final round of matches.

PSV lifted the title they won last season to take their overall tally to 26, 10 behind Ajax, as they finished the season with 79 points from 34 games, one ahead of their great rivals from Amsterdam.

Ivan Perisic put PSV ahead after 27 minutes but when Gjivai Zechiel equalised for Sparta, Ajax, who at one stage had a nine-point lead in the title race, took over at the top of the table as they went on to win 2-0 at home to FC Twente.

But De Jong restored PSV’s lead after 58 minutes and when Tillman rifled in a third from the edge of the box with six minutes remaining, the visitors were able to celebrate their seventh win in a row and claiming the league championship spot.