PSV Eindhoven saw off Esperance De Tunis following an entertaining penalty shootout after playing out a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Both PSV and Tunis had fallen short in their first play-off games, losing to Kashiwa Reysol and PSG respectively on Saturday. Now competing for 7th and 8th place, the sides were hoping to end their campaign on a high and secure a win before the journey home.
Tunis began in impressive fashion and were soon ahead.
Having picked up the ball in the midfield, Moataz Ouertani side-stepped his man and put star striker Oussama Gurbouj through on goal. Although the resultant shot was clearly miskicked when it scuffed off the striker’s boot, it played to his advantage. The keeper was sent the wrong way, and the shot rolled towards the bottom corner and finally nestled in the side netting.
The Dutch side’s ability to counter has been a feature of their performances at Al Kass, and in the 35th minute it was Tunis’ turn to suffer. Sekou Sidibe’s close control and delicate dribbling freed up enough space for him to cut the ball to the edge of the box, where Mohamed Ihattaren was waiting. The pass connected with the midfielder’s instep and curled into the far corner, well out of Jbali’s reach.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Esperance’s efficiency on the ball and superior communication saw them create chance after chance and, had it not been for keeper Kyan Van Dorp, Gurbouj could have earned himself a hat-trick with ease.
But despite PSV enduring relentless Esperance attacks, the Tunisian side couldn’t score. The second half was rather uneventful, and at 90 minutes the sides were still level, necessitating Al Kass 2017’s second penalty shootout.
Top scorers Sidibe and Gurbouj took their team’s first shots, both scoring in convincing fashion by tucking the ball low into the bottom corner. PSV goalscorer Ihattaren approached the spot in confident fashion, and proceeded to execute the world famous Panenka penalty with aplomb, chipping the ball gently down the centre of goal, as an onlooking Jbali watched in despair. However, when Alaa Latrech attempted the same audacious trick for Tunis, he didn’t achieve the desired result, as Van Dorp got low to his left to keep the ball out. The two sides then traded goals until Andrew Mendonca fired the winning penalty into the top corner to ensure PSV emerged victorious.