Leaders AZ started Saturday's match against the B2 at Herdgang cautiously, with the hefty 1-6 defeat in Alkmaar still in mind. PSV could not match the high level of that away game Saturday, however, and ultimately proved unable to pull off a deserved draw.

In the beginning of the first half not much worth mentioning happened, only after about half an hour of play did either team become dangerous for the first time, when a distance shot from the guests went over the PSV goal via the crossbar. Yet it was PSV that opened the scoring at a tasty moment, on the stroke of halftime. The left striker Juan van Schijndel, on loan from the B1, created some space on the other side of the penalty area all by himself to take a shot, and surprised the Alkmaar goalkeeper with a dash into the short corner, 0-1.

The second half was a lot more entertaining with AZ now having to abandon their wait-and-see attitude and creating a more open game with chances on both sides, balls on the post and sharp counters, and in which AZ, driven by the title race, eventually forced the win. 10 minutes after halftime, the score was levelled when an Alkmaar player with the ball at his feet entered the penalty area, where three PSV players did not stand in his way, and he shot the 1-1 goal into the far corner. Both teams played for the win, which resulted in a number of chances, and again PSV took the lead. Steven Bergwijn, who just a minute earlier had sent Arnaut Groeneveld off alone with a fine through pass to the goalkeeper who saved his effort, shot at the Alkmaar goal in the 59th minute, after which Youandi Renfurm reacted attentively and shot the returning ball into the rebound, 2-1. However, the joy was of very short duration when less than 2 minutes later, AZ, via an attack on the right side, enabled a free player on the 5 meter to easily tap in, and equalize again. Where PSV, with a good quarter of an hour left on the clock and the difficult final stages of the last few games in mind, seemed to be at peace with the score, AZ threw off all their shyness and went looking emphatically for the victory it needs in the championship battle with Ajax. And the third goal finally fell 10 minutes before time, albeit in very unfortunate fashion. The otherwise faultless goalkeeper Thomas Hooyberghs met the fate that only a goalkeeper can meet, when he failed to touch a deep ball that he picked up outside his penalty area and wanted to play in, after which it ended up at the feet of an AZ player who had little trouble finding the empty PSV goal. Small consolation and for the statistics: PSV made it 3-3 five minutes before time, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Thomas Hooyberghs; Dirk Abels - Gökhan Kardes - Stijn Lamers - Ward Huijgens ('65 Chris Hagi); Philippe Rommens © - Steven Bergwijn - Sam Lammers; Youandi Renfurm - Arnaut Groeneveld ('70 Jasper van Heertum) - Juan van Schijndel ('51 Emilio Prieto y Gorgosz).

Absent: Kevin Doré (surgery); Maarten Peijnenburg (B1); Matthias Verreth (C1).
Injured: Vincent Heilmann; Marco Weijmans.
On the bench not substituted: Yannick van Osch