PSV Women drew 0-0 against Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark. They won the home match 1-0, advancing the team to the round of 16 of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup.
Although PSV Women entered the match with a 1-0 lead, they were the dominant team. The home team couldn’t contain Rosalie Renfurm, who was constantly finding space from the number six position. The only thing missing was that one final pass in the final third—until the 22nd minute, when Sara Thrige placed the ball on Liz Rijsbergen’s head. The forward headed the ball just over the crossbar. Moments later, a nice passing sequence led to a scoring opportunity for Chimera Ripa, but goalkeeper Paraluta was well positioned. On the other end, Nicky Evrard had little to do.
Shanice van de Sanden darted out of the locker room. Twice, the winger was set up by Chimera, and twice Shanice delivered the pass. The second time, Janice Cayman pulled the trigger. The Danish goalkeeper narrowly prevented PSV from taking the lead. As the second half progressed, PSV increasingly had to rely on counterattacks. In the 75th minute, one such counterattack led to a great chance for Liz, who fired the ball hard against the crossbar. Just when Hjørring absolutely had to score in the closing stages, PSV regained control and saw the match out in businesslike fashion.
On Friday, the draw for the round of 16 of the UEFA Women’s Europa League will take place.
Setup
Evrard, Bross (Frijns), Folkertsma, Hendriks, Thrige; Renfurm, Ripa (Altena), Cayman; Rijsbergen, Jacobs (Lacroix), Van de Sanden (Hickelsberger).