PSV Eindhoven 4-3 Heerenveen (2017)

PSV Eindhoven 4-3 Heerenveen
Eredivisie
Sunday 22nd January 2017

Techno tunes, fist-pumps by a Darts World Champion, a hat-trick and a free hot chocolate - this was a ridiculously crazy day with a crazy game, coupled a long, knackering journey!

Having already been to the two other elite clubs in The Netherlands then I was keen to head back and visit PSV Eindhoven as well and some careful planning once the fixture dates were confirmed meant that it was entirely possible.

The downside, nevertheless, was that coach times from London weren't favourable and it meant I'd arrive in Eindhoven around 6.30am - still an hour or so before sunrise and, once there, I can assure you that there wasn't exactly a vast array of options regarding what to do next. It's not a city which is beaming with tourist attractions, intrigue or excitement and, very much like Dortmund in Germany, the football team is the biggest attraction.

After pottering around in the freezing cold near Centraal Station for a short time, I somehow managed to convince a receptionist in a student-type hostel to take pity and allow me get my head down on a sofa in the reception. She agreed and I even ended up being 'treated' to a free hot chocolate - clearly, they must have thought I was homeless (which probably wasn't that far away from the truth), but it was Dutch hospitality at it's finest and I was grateful for it.

Anyway, close to noon, I was refreshed enough to go about my business and see as many of the fantastic things which Eindhoven has to offer. It was a self-designed sightseeing tour, planned with good intentions, but it lasted minutes rather than hours and it wasn't long before McDonalds was on the radar to waste a bit more time. There was a church, a square and a shopping precinct - but not much else to pass the time!

Eventually, I went to the stadium for the game and it turned out to be a cracker.

PSV were up towards the top of the table but still behind front-runners Feyenoord (who I'd seen smash Den Haag earlier in the season). Opponents Heerenveen were making up the numbers somewhat - even though their squad did include Martin Odegaard - the highly-rated Norwegian teenager who had just joined them on loan from Real Madrid and was expected to be the next global superstar. Writing three years later, it's fair to say that he hasn't yet got close to reaching the heights he was expected to (spending time on loan at Vitesse Arnhem and Real Sociedad instead), though he has emerged as an established figure in Norway's national side.

Anyway, the Philips Stadion is located right in the heart of Eindhoven - around a 15-minute walk from the Bus/Rail Station, close to a housing estate but also on one of the main roads into the city. Each stand is different, the overall place feels unique and something that's been developed over a period of time as opposed to the brand new 'pop up' stadiums which you get so often, just designed slightly differently, at several other places on the continent. The ground feels part of a community because it's within walking distance of everything, whilst the community is so proud of their team!

The atmosphere was quite decent (so much so that I'd say it's amongst the best I've seen) and it was a close to capacity crowd as well. The teams were announced, pre-match, in a passionate way with flag bearers positioned on the pitch to signal where each player would be positioned.

The Netherlands is notorious for it's Happy Hardcore-type culture and after hearing plenty of Techno/House tunes and some club anthems, it was Tina Turner's 'Simply The Best' which blasted out over the PA system when the teams finally entered the pitch just prior to the 4.45pm start.

A light show; something which has become popular in the UK since, also aided the atmosphere - and it was best-used when World Darts Champion Michael Van Gerwen did a lap of honour at half-time (to the tune of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army) with the beam light bouncing here, there and everywhere as he fist-pumped to everyone in the stadium and milked his big moment.

On the pitch, within the first five minutes there was a shock on the cards as Reza Ghoochannejhad (worth a lot of points at Scrabble) put Heerenveen ahead with a clever 'dink' finish over the 'keeper, but PSV turned things around with two goals in quick succession before half-time.

The visitors were better than their league position suggested, caused a lot of problems, and were decent fare and, having equalised through Ghoochannejhad again just after half-time, they re-took the lead with about 10 minutes to go when he completed his hat-trick.

That looked to be that and with an eerie silence descending amongst the home fans (who otherwise had been really passionate and noisy) it seemed as though their team were about to drop points.

But then came the twist as Marco Van Ginkel poked home an equaliser in the 89th minute - thus causing more 'Happy Hardcore' techno goal celebration music to be played yet again, before Hector Moreno struck in dramatic fashion just 60 seconds later to put the hosts ahead. PSV were elated; Heerenveen deflated - and Feyenoord fans watching on TV were probably cursing that their likely title rivals hadn't dropped any points when for so long it looked like they would do!

All in all, this was a really good trip, despite how knackering it felt, full of good memories, and I even had time to run to the shop and get some biscuits before the coach home departed around half-an-hour after the final whistle!