One of Europe’s most staggering and turbulent title races culminated Sunday in PSV Eindhoven being crowned Dutch champion at the expense of big rival Ajax, whose late-season meltdown couldn’t be saved by a win in the final round.
PSV retained the title by beating Sparta Rotterdam 3-1, with United States midfielder Malik Tillman scoring the third goal to settle any nerves with Ajax playing — and winning — its match taking place at the same time.
Ajax won 2-0 at home to FC Twente but that wasn’t enough for the Amsterdam club, which finished a point behind PSV despite holding a nine-point lead with five games remaining.
Then Ajax went on a four-match winless run that included two losses and two draws – an epic collapse that allowed PSV to make up the deficit in dramatic fashion and, ultimately, clinch a 26th Eredivisie title.
Luuk de Jong, another of the scorers for PSV on Sunday, raised the league trophy to a backdrop of tickertape and celebrating teammates — including another American in defender Sergiño Dest — on the field at Sparta Stadion. They might still be in disbelief.
“After being nine points behind Ajax, you think you’ll never make it," De Jong said in quotes carried by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, "but the fact that you still managed to do it is really crazy.”
Last Sunday, PSV’s title chances looked all but over when the defending champions trailed by two goals after 10 minutes at third-placed Feyenoord. The score was 2-2 before Noa Lang’s goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time sealed a 3-2 win.
Ajax then slumped to a 3-0 loss at home to mid-table NEC Nijmegen, setting up more late drama Wednesday — when Ajax conceded a goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time at Groningen to draw 2-2.
PSV, led by former Ajax coach Peter Bosz, was suddenly in first place — for the first time since February — by a point and that's how it stayed.
PSV won its last seven games to capitalize on Ajax's wobble in its first season under 36-year-old coach Francesco Farioli, who was looking to lead the team to a record-extending 37th Eredivisie crown.
Farioli was in tears after the game and video spread around social media showed Ajax striker Wout Weghorst slapping away a camera from a camera operator who the player felt got too close to Ajax's sad players as they stood in front of their fans.
“He sees that I’m in tears and comes to me," Weghorst said in De Telegraaf. “That’s emotion.”
Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson congratulated PSV, adding: "It’s tough that we didn’t make it, but no one expected this before the season started.”
Both PSV and Ajax earned automatic qualification to the lucrative Champions League next season.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
