PSV went down 3-0 against Newcastle United on Wednesday night. At St. James' Park, Peter Bosz 's team failed to score for only the second time this season.
The match started with a pleasant surprise: Anass Salah-Eddine, just days after the Africa Cup final, appeared directly at the kickoff for PSV. However, the left-back had to leave the field shortly before halftime with an injury. Armando Obispo was his replacement, reaching his 120th official match in the PSV shirt.
Figures speak for themselves
Despite the defeat, the match pattern was close: PSV had almost as much ball possession as Newcastle United and looked to attack, but only managed six shots, one of which was on target, that attempt coming from Paul Wanner.
Newcastle United was a lot more effective at the other end. The Englishmen managed nine shots, four of which were on target, which eventually resulted in three goals. Especially errors in the build-up on the PSV side were mercilessly punished by Newcastle. Ball possession was almost balanced: 52 percent for Newcastle against 48 percent for PSV. Both teams also recorded an 83 percent pass accuracy.
Striking
The defeat in Newcastle was also striking in several ways. The last time PSV lost in the UEFA Champions League by a margin of three goals was last season against Arsenal, when PSV went down 7-1. In addition, PSV remained without a goal for only the second time this season. The only previous game in which Peter Bosz 's team failed to score was the league game against Telstar, which was lost 0-2 at the time.
All-decisive
For PSV now only one chance remains to advance to the next round of the UEFA Champions League. The all-deciding match against Bayern Munich is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Philips Stadium.