Five-star PSV thrash Rangers to reach Champions League
Cheered on by a rapturous crowd inside the Philips Stadion, it was PSV that made the brighter start. The hosts’ progressive play in the opening exchanges was instigated by Johan Bakayoko, who is being heavily linked with a Premier League move before the transfer window shuts.
He teed up Joey Veerman for a long-range effort that was parried to safety by Jack Butland, before Luuk de Jong headed wide from his searching cross to the far post.
The inevitable breakthrough came through Ismael Saibari, as the Morocco international was superbly picked out from the left flank by Veerman, and powered home a header past Jack Butland to move PSV into a 3-2 aggregate lead going into HT.
Saibari added his and PSV’s second less than 10 minutes into the second half when Jordan Teze picked out De Jong, and the latter’s ball back across the face of goal was turned in by the Moroccan with a clinical first-time finish.
Michael Beale’s men were struggling to gain a foothold in the contest, but did have two promising openings in quick succession to reduce the arrears when chances fell to Rabbi Matondo and Connor Goldson, and while those chances went begging, Rangers got a lifeline from a familiar source. Todd Cantwell played in Sam Lammers, whose ball to the back post was slotted home by captain James Tavernier.
However, the writing looked on the wall for Beale’s side when PSV moved 3-1 ahead on the night and 5-3 on aggregate just 91 seconds later, thanks to De Jong.
He rose highest to head home from Veerman’s set-piece, and the Rood-witten had one foot in the UCL group stage. The visitors were starting to resemble a boxer struggling to get off the canvas, as Veerman rubbed salt into their gaping wounds with a close-range finish to score PSV’s fourth.
But the punishment was not over yet, as a horrible mix-up involving Goldson and Butland led to a calamitous own goal for PSV’s fifth and final strike.
It was a chastening evening for Rangers, who missed out on qualifying for the UCL group stage in successive seasons for the first time since 2010, but have the consolation prize of Europa League football. Meanwhile Peter Bosz’s side will be amongst Europe’s elite when the UCL group stage draw is made on Thursday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Joey Veerman (PSV Eindhoven)
