“We couldn’t play the pure football that suits us,” Bosz said at the press conference after the game. “They put a lot of pressure and played one-on-one everywhere. That was new for us, since we normally don’t play such a match in our own country. I think it’s great how the players sensed what to do, by often looking for a long ball.”
Jordan Teze also saw that PSV quickly figured out how to combat Lens. “We tried to play football at first, but quickly realized that we should not be stupid or naive. They are waiting to disrupt the build-up. It was good that we often looked for the long ball towards Luuk (de Jong, ed.). We have the match well read.”
In the match, which was decided by a striking header by striker De Jong, a total of ten yellow cards were issued. Eight of these were for the visitors, who also ended up with ten men due to a red card (two yellow) from Morgan Guilavogui.
Teze is happy that PSV was not fooled by the play of the French. “It was an emotional match, a fighting match with many duels. Then you get irritated a bit more quickly. Yes, it is sometimes difficult to keep your head on straight. But we have become much smarter about that and know that we are above that.” Teze said.
Summary: PSV beats Lens in heated match (1-0)
‘Was a kind of Boxing Day’
According to Bosz, this was also the case during halftime, when a disturbance allegedly took place in the catacombs. “It was a kind of Boxing Day. I stood in between to calm things down,” he joked. “No, just kidding. There was actually very little going on. There was just some shouting going on.”
Afterwards, the PSV coach wanted to focus mainly on positive things, such as his rearguard. He kept a clean sheet against Lens, after PSV had conceded seven goals in the first three matches in the million-dollar competition. “The players at the back are often criticized, but they have done really well.”
Pride dominated Bosz, who has every chance of winning the Champions League with his team that is still flawless in the Eredivisie. “Overwintering was our goal in advance, so we are going for it. We had to win this game to have a chance, and we did that.”
At best, PSV could even qualify for the next round in three weeks. If PSV wins on a visit to Seville on November 29 and Arsenal beats Lens at home, PSV will qualify for the knockout phase of the million-dollar event.
The post first appeared on www.nu.nl