PSV comfortably swept aside by Juventus in first Champions League match of the season
PSV had an unsuccessful start to their UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday. The league leaders in the Eredivisie were brought down to earth, losing 3-1 to a dominant Juventus side. Ismael Saibari scored with the last kick of the game to give PSV a consolation goal after Juventus had gone 3-0 up via Kenan Yildiz, Weston Mckennie, and Nicolas Gonzalez.
Manager Peter Bosz made one change to the side that defeated NEC Nijmegen 2-0 in the Eredivisie on Saturday. Goalkeeper Walter Benitez was absent to witness the birth of his child. Second goalkeeper Joel Drommel replaced him. Oranje midfielder Teun Koopmeiners played his first Champions League match for Juventus after joining the club last summer from Atalanta.
The Eindhovenaren went 1-0 down in the 21st minute. Turkish international Kenan Yildiz cut inside from the left wing before finding the net via the inside of the post with a beautiful curling shot.
A few minutes later, it was nearly 2-0. Koopmeiners burst down the left wing for the Italian side before playing a low cross, which found United States midfielder Weston Mckennie, but Drommel's legs stopped his shot.
However, the midfielder scored his goal shortly after. Young PSV left-back Matteo Dams was dribbled past by Nico Gonzales before the ball deflected to McKenzie in the box, who did not fail on this occasion, placing it into the corner.
The home side made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute, and again, it resulted from poor play and poor defending from Bosz's side. Joey Veerman lost the ball in midfield, proving costly as Dusan Vlahovic found Nicolas Gonzales in acres of space. The Argentinian placed the ball into the far corner.
It was no less than Juventus deserved, as PSV had hardly even put up a fight in the match. Drommel made another vital save in the second half to stop Vlahovic from making it 4-0 after Koopmeiners had found space on the wing again.
However, the traveling PSV fans did have one reason to cheer: Ismael Saibari scored with the last kick of the game. The midfielder received the ball from Johan Bakayoko before smashing it into the bottom corner.
The goal could be majorly beneficial for PSV in the new Champions League format, as goal difference could play a huge role.
PSV will be hoping to bounce back from this defeat at the weekend when they face Fortuna Sittard away on Sunday. Their next Champions League match is in two weeks against Portuguese side Sporting CP at home.
