The pledge topper fell to PSV U21 on Friday night. Matthias Verreth and Lennerd Daneels scored the first two goals in Amsterdam, allowing Dennis Haar's team to reduce the gap with Jong Ajax to seven points. Nikolai Laursen scored PSV U21's third goal: 0-3.
Entertaining first half
In an entertaining first half, Jong Ajax initially had the best of the game. The Amsterdam pledges created two good chances in the opening phase, the last of which, after about twenty minutes, was the biggest. Striker Johnsen turned up free in front of goalkeeper Yanick van Osch, who kept the Norwegian from scoring, as did earlier midfielder De Wit. On the counter-punch, Marcel Ritzmaier then maneuvered himself into a promising position, but the wobble the Austrian then produced narrowly missed Kotarski's goal. Not too much later, Jordan Teze Van Osch came to the rescue by clearing a shot from Bijleveld before the line.
Despite a nice Amsterdam start, PSV U21 took the lead against Jong Ajax
Belgian double
In retrospect, that turned out to be the last action of the strong-playing defender, who had to be replaced after a game around the center circle due to injury. That fate also awaited Matthias Verreth, but only after he allowed PSV U21 to take a 1-0 lead into the break. After a clever cross from Gakpo, the Belgian found the net via the inside of the post. In the first phase after halftime, PSV U21 could have doubled the lead several times through the trio Gakpo, Nikolai Laursen and Lennerd Daneels, but each time there was a lack of a tailored final pass. Fifteen minutes before time that pass did come: Joey Konings served Daneels, who rounded goalkeeper Kotarski and controlled his first goal for PSV U21: 0-2. The final chord was for Laursen. In the closing stages the Dane signed for 0-3.
PSV U21 line-up.
Van Osch; Van Vlerken, Teze (30/Daneels), Abels, Carolina; Duarte, Rommens, Ritzmaier; Verreth (44/Hattu), Laursen, Gakpo (71/Konings)