PSV Pull Ahead

PSV wasted no time after the restart. Strootman, visibly fired up, took charge immediately, surging forward with the ball.

He evaded a sliding challenge from Elm with a sharp turn, his eyes scanning the field for options.

[And here come PSV again,] Mike said, the urgency in his voice matching the tempo on the pitch. [They'll want to respond quickly after that equalizer]

Strootman picked out Dries Mertens on the left with a perfectly weighted pass.

The diminutive winger controlled it effortlessly, his low center of gravity allowing him to spin away from Martens in one fluid motion.

[Mertens has been lively all game,] the co-commentator remarked. [AZ Alkmaar will need to stay sharp here. You give him an inch, and he'll punish you]

Mertens drove at the right-back, Marcellis, teasing the defender with quick stepovers. With a burst of pace, he darted toward the byline and whipped a dangerous cross into the 18 yard box.