THE HAGUE, April 23 (Xinhua) -- PSV secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Ajax in Eindhoven on Sunday, taking over second place in the Dutch Eredivisie from the Amsterdam-based giants.
Luuk de Jong headed in the opening goal in the 13th minute from a cross by Johan Bakayoko. PSV had some chances to widen the margin in the first half against a lackluster Ajax but failed to add another goal.
In the 54th minute, PSV were awarded a penalty after Ajax goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli brought down Xavi Simons. The 20-year-old Simons converted the penalty himself for his 15th goal of the league season, making him joint top scorer with Heerenveen's Sydney van Hooijdonk.
The match was temporarily suspended after a PSV fan threw a plastic cup towards Ajax player Steven Berghuis. After play resumed, Ajax midfielder Kenneth Taylor hit the post twice. De Jong sealed the match in the 78th minute with an assist by Simons.
The win put PSV at 65 points after 30 rounds, three ahead of Ajax. The second-place finish after the season secures a ticket to the UEFA Champions League preliminary round.
Feyenoord moved closer to its first championship since 2017 and a direct Champions League berth with a 3-1 win over FC Utrecht in Rotterdam. Sebastian Szymanski, Santiago Gimenez, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored, while Bas Dost scored for the visitors. Feyenoord is now eight points ahead of PSV with four match rounds remaining. ■
