Head Coach Roger Schmidt's team may get ready for the Champions League playoffs. In Denmark, FC Midtjylland was defeated 1-0 to secure the ticket.
Hungry
PSV went into the match with an excellent starting position, due to the earlier 3-0 win. Nonetheless, PSV remained slick. FC Midtjylland goalkeeper Lössl was quickly put to the test by Eran Zahavi who managed to shoot from a slide. Later, it was Ibrahim Sangaré who set up the combination play himself and appeared in the sixteen-meter area. However, the Ivorian just failed to lay the ball off. Zahavi also remained hungry. The striker came very dangerously in front of the Danish goal and had to choose between a difficult cross towards Cody Gakpo or shooting himself. The choice fell on the latter but the ball ended cuttingly into the side netting.
Power at the back
Most of the threat came from the right flank. Noni Madueke and Mario Götze often found each other in the combination. Twice it came to a dangerous cross, both, however, did not find a foot to complete the work. PSV was certainly not free of chances, but the team tried to save their strength. After several tough games, the rule of thumb remained: move on to the next round. At the back, that message was clear. The Danish attackers got to know André Ramalho the hard way, defusing many an attack. Joël Drommel was also aiming for his third clean sheet in a row. With fine saves he kept the Eindhoven goal clean. The most dangerous man in the first half was Gakpo. Following a pass from Götze, he was able to shoot at goal, but the angle proved too difficult and Lössl was in the way. With no goals, both teams returned to the locker room.
Drommel
In the second half, it took a fraction of a minute for PSV to create a chance. Madueke let his good form speak for itself and got to a shot from close range, but he saw his effort go over the goal. Gakpo also remained a headache for the Danes' goalkeeper. The Eindhoven native was sent away with the ball by Zahavi and shot only inches wide of the aluminum. At the other end, the home team's most dangerous moment came from a standard situation. A free kick graced over the wall and toward the corner of the goal, but Drommel had an excellent reflex to catch the shot.
Last minute winner
In the closing minutes, tactical changes were made to get the job done. One of these changes was the debut of Fodé Fofana. The striker made his first minutes in the PSV main squad. At the training camp he was already allowed to show his qualities and now he got the confidence of Roger Schmidt. In the final minutes it was another substitute who made the difference. Bruma managed to surprise the goalkeeper with a shot from distance and ensured that PSV could still fly back to Eindhoven with the win and the Champions League playoffs secured.
