Since the departure of Young-Pyo Lee, Eindhoven's left flank had remained a soft spot—exposed, unconvincing, and persistently vulnerable.
Veteran Michael Reiziger, once a formidable presence, had long lost the sharpness of his prime. His last outing in the national derby was a stark reminder of time's toll—completely overrun by Yang Yang, he had failed to contain the Chinese forward at any point.
Morale in the PSV camp was low after their recent disaster in the Champions League. Having been thrashed 4–0 by Lyon in the second leg and eliminated 5–0 on aggregate, the Dutch champions had returned home wounded. Now, away at the Amsterdam Arena, they faced an Ajax side riding high on confidence and ambition. Guus Hiddink knew he could not afford a repeat of the last meeting. This time, he made a switch.
Out went Reiziger. In came Michael Ball, the 26-year-old English left-back, once of Everton and Rangers, who had joined PSV that summer. Though he had played largely as a backup, Hiddink turned to him now, hoping fresh legs would bring fresh resilience.
The rest of the PSV backline wasn't exactly watertight either. Ball was flanked by Alex, Eric Addo, and Michael Lamey—a defensive quartet that, while athletic, lacked cohesion and reliability under pressure. And Ajax had every intention of testing that.
From the first whistle, it was all Ajax.
They roared forward with intent, fuelled by the raucous support of a packed Amsterdam Arena. The attacking trio of Pienaar, Charisteas, and Yang Yang formed a high-pressing vanguard that pinned PSV deep in their own half.
Behind them, the midfield engine of Yaya Touré, Nigel de Jong, and Wesley Sneijder hunted every ball, dictating tempo, intercepting passes, and launching wave after wave of attack. It was the signature Ronald Koeman formula—relentless, vertical, and lethal when executed properly.
Within the opening ten minutes, Sneijder and Touré had each fired warning shots from range, forcing saves from Gomes and underlining Ajax's attacking intent. PSV were rattled. Their lines dropped deeper, their clearances more rushed.
Then came the breakthrough moment.
In the 17th minute, Yang Yang received a switch of play on the left edge of the box. He took on his man with a blur of movement, drove toward the inside channel, and unleashed a powerful, curling shot with his right foot. The crowd gasped as it thundered off the far post and ricocheted across the six-yard box before being cleared.
Yang Yang grimaced, hands on his head—but he was only just getting started.
For the next ten minutes, the Chinese star became a ghost in PSV's half—impossible to track, impossible to contain. He drifted across all attacking zones, pulling defenders with him, opening up gaps, orchestrating Ajax's fluid movements like a conductor.
In the 26th minute, came Ajax's most incisive moment.
Yang Yang received the ball centrally, 30 yards out, and surged diagonally leftward, dragging two defenders with him. Just before the left channel became congested, he threaded a pass into Pienaar, who had timed his run perfectly into the inside-left corridor.
But Yang Yang didn't stop. He curved his run around the outside, darting to the byline.
Pienaar understood immediately. One-touch return, into the space.
Yang Yang latched onto it, now one-on-one with Michael Lamey at the edge of the box. A quick dip of the shoulder sent Lamey sprawling. Yang Yang cut back with ease, then glanced up and spotted Yaya Touré arriving like a freight train.
A slick reverse cut-back, pinpoint to the penalty spot.
Touré didn't hesitate. He struck the ball first-time with his laces, low and hard. It whistled past Gomes and slammed into the bottom right corner of the net.
1–0!
The Arena erupted.
Touré wheeled away in celebration but then turned back, laughing. He dropped theatrically to his knees in front of Yang Yang, took the winger's boot in both hands, and mockingly dusted it off with his shirt—a tribute, a thanks, an acknowledgment of brilliance.
Above them, fans chanted in thunderous unison.
"YANG! YANG! YANG! YANG!"
The scoreboard lit up. And somewhere in Eindhoven's dugout, Hiddink exhaled a long, worried breath.
It was just the 26th minute, but it already felt like a long, long afternoon.
...
...
Although Hiddink's PSV Eindhoven found themselves trailing by a goal, they refused to abandon their shape and launch forward recklessly. There was no panic in their posture. No desperate shift in tactics.
Guus Hiddink was a seasoned tactician. He knew Ajax well. He understood that if his team pushed too high, if they tried to take control in Amsterdam's cauldron, they would only collapse faster. PSV's strength had always been in their transitions—their speed on the break, their ability to punish spaces behind the opposition.
They stayed disciplined. And they waited.
In the 31st minute, their patience nearly paid off.
A sharp turnover in midfield—De Jong misjudged a pass—and suddenly PSV sprung into motion. One touch to Cocu, a quick release wide to Jefferson Farfán, who broke through the line and sprinted free.
The Peruvian attacker had only green grass ahead. A single touch pushed the ball forward into stride. It was one-on-one.
But Maarten Stekelenburg read the danger early. Ajax's goalkeeper charged off his line, closing the angle, narrowing Farfán's options.
As Farfán tried to round him, Stekelenburg threw himself low, hands outstretched. A clean, brave block. He swept the ball from under Farfán's boots, killing the danger.
The Amsterdam Arena roared in appreciation.
Stekelenburg—so often criticized this season—had come up with a big moment.
Ajax responded with renewed aggression.
In the 36th minute, Yang Yang, constantly rotating across the frontline, peeled off to the left. A slick one-two with Charisteas put him in motion. He burst into the box, slicing between defenders with frightening ease. As he wound up for the shot, Gomes charged—but Yang's strike still beat him...
Thud.
Off the post again.
The second time on the woodwork.
Yang Yang threw his head back, frustration clear. He had been electric, elusive, and dangerous throughout the half—but luck was cruel tonight. Twice denied by the frame of the goal.
But Ajax's rhythm was building. The pressure was mounting. Eindhoven looked like a dam about to burst.
In the 41st minute, Steven Pienaar combined brilliantly with Maxwell on the left. A quick one-two opened up space for the Brazilian full-back, who whipped in a pinpoint cross to the heart of the box.
Charisteas rose high—free header!—but the Greek striker's timing was off. He mistimed the leap, and his header sailed narrowly wide.
Koeman turned and clapped, urging more, urging calm. The next chance would come.
And it did, just before the interval.
In stoppage time of the first half, Yang Yang received the ball wide on the right. This time, he faced Michael Ball one-on-one. A feint, a shimmy, and a sudden burst of acceleration sent the Englishman stumbling. Yang zipped past him, hugging the touchline, and was clipped just before he reached the byline.
Free kick. Dangerous angle. Right side of the final third.
This was Yang Yang territory.
He stood over the ball calmly, scanning the crowd in the box. Charisteas, De Jong, Pienaar, and Touré all jostled for space.
Yang whipped in a perfect outswinger—a low, spinning delivery that bent wickedly into the corridor of uncertainty.
Charisteas met it at the near post, but again, his timing let him down. His flick ricocheted awkwardly off Alex, who stood firm at the back. But the clearance only reached the edge of the box.
Sneijder was waiting.
Without breaking stride, he struck the dropping ball on the half-volley.
Boom.
The shot ripped through the air like a missile—low, accurate, and unstoppable. Gomes stretched, but he was a spectator.
The net bulged.
2–0.
The stadium exploded. Ajax fans leapt from their seats, scarves swirling, chanting and celebrating what felt like a decisive blow.
Sneijder, fists clenched, sprinted toward the corner flag, roaring as his teammates chased him.
Yang Yang followed behind, laughing and shouting, pointing to the Dutch midfielder in celebration. It may not have been his goal, but it had come from his chaos once again.
At halftime, Ajax had a commanding lead.
And Eindhoven? They looked like a team caught in a tide they couldn't swim against.
...
...
After the restart, Eindhoven attempted to claw their way back into the match. Their forwards pushed higher, trying to stretch the Ajax back line. Farfán and Cocu tried to link with Vennegoor of Hesselink, but Ajax's midfield, anchored by Yaya Touré and Nigel de Jong, remained disciplined.
The first real chance of the second half came not from Eindhoven, but from a lightning-fast Ajax counter.
Yang Yang dropped deeper to collect the ball in midfield and immediately sparked a rapid triangle of movement.
A quick exchange with Yaya Touré, then another with Pienaar—two sharp one-twos in the center—and Yang broke free into the box. The move had sliced through PSV's shape, and for a moment, the Amsterdam Arena held its breath.
Yang Yang opened up his body and went for a curled left-footed finish—but the angle was too narrow. Gomes read it well, diving low to smother the shot.
The commentary team couldn't help but note his night so far.
"Yang Yang didn't bring his finishing boots tonight."
"He's been involved in everything dangerous, but two shots off the post and now this miss... the frustration must be building."
"Still, the work rate, the creativity, the movement—it's relentless. But his luck tonight just hasn't turned."
Koeman had seen enough from Charisteas, who was having one of his more ineffective outings. In the 63rd minute, the Greek striker made way for Nicklas Bendtner.
The change gave Ajax fresh energy up front.
The young Dane came on with a point to prove and immediately imposed himself—chasing down defenders, bullying in the air, holding up play to bring midfielders into the attack.
His presence stretched Eindhoven's defense. No longer could they double up on Yang Yang with impunity. Space began to open.
And it finally paid off.
In the 71st minute, Sneijder floated a clever ball into the box from the left half-space, bending just behind Alex and in front of Lamey. Bendtner met it with a sweet left-footed volley, aiming to smash it past Gomes from close range.
Gomes, once again, produced a heroic save—diving full stretch to parry it away.
But the rebound spun awkwardly and dropped inside the six-yard box—right where Yang Yang had drifted.
Instinct took over.
A calm right-footed side-foot into the open net.
Goal. 3–0.
Yang Yang didn't even celebrate with his usual flair. He simply stood for a moment, looked at the ball in the net, then turned back with a sheepish grin and shook his head.
He spread his arms in a helpless shrug as his teammates mobbed him.
Sometimes the beautiful game isn't so beautiful. Sometimes, it's the scruffy tap-in that finally does it.
Not the ones you paint in your dreams—but they count all the same.
The crowd at the Amsterdam Arena roared. Yang Yang's name echoed from the terraces, even as the scoreboard now showed a commanding lead.
Koeman, with one eye on upcoming fixtures and the other on conserving energy, made the call. Yang Yang came off in the 74th minute to a standing ovation, replaced by Ryan Babel.
His night was done.
Even without their talisman on the pitch, Ajax remained compact. PSV, perhaps freed from Yang Yang's constant threat, pushed forward with more belief. They wanted something to take home.
And in the 90th minute, they got it.
Farfán finally found a seam in Ajax's defense and rifled in a low strike past Stekelenburg to grab a consolation goal.
But the result was already settled.
Ajax 3 – 1 PSV Eindhoven
Goals: Touré, Sneijder, Yang Yang — Farfán
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...
The 28th round of the Eredivisie has concluded.
Ajax triumphed 3–1 over Eindhoven at the Amsterdam Arena, further cementing their grip on the league title.
With just six rounds remaining, most observers now agree: the championship is all but secured.
But that, remarkably, is no longer the focus of attention.
Ajax have been front-runners since the winter break, their attacking football and depth of quality making them odds-on favourites for the title. For many, it's no longer a matter of if, but when they will be crowned champions.
The real surprise lies with PSV Eindhoven. Once regarded as serious contenders after holding their own against AC Milan in the Champions League group stage, their collapse in the second half of the season has been baffling. Their 0–5 aggregate defeat to Lyon in the round of 16 left pundits and fans alike searching for answers.
Yet even the title race and Eindhoven's regression have been eclipsed by the story of the season:
Yang Yang.
With his goal against PSV, the 19-year-old reached 39 goals in just 26 league appearances—a staggering number. He now sits just two goals shy of Henk Groot's legendary tally of 41 goals for Ajax in a single Eredivisie campaign.
The next best scorer? Huntelaar, with 27 goals—a distant second.
Yang Yang has already surpassed Marco van Basten's best single-season tally, but the young forward was quick to downplay the comparison in a post-match interview.
"Van Basten is a legend. I'm not there yet," he said humbly. "I've only proven myself in the Eredivisie. He did it in Italy, in the European Cup... I still have a long way to go."
However, he didn't hide his ambition.
"I'll try to keep scoring. If I can, I want to surpass Henk Groot, maybe even Coen Dillen. Why not dream of reaching 50 goals? That's what football is for—dreaming."
Marco van Basten, now manager of the Dutch national team, responded with warmth and encouragement in a media interview.
"I called Yang Yang to congratulate him. He's had an extraordinary season," Van Basten revealed.
"But I also reminded him: it's not over. There are six games left in the league, plus the Champions League and the KNVB Cup. I told him not to get distracted by records or comparisons. Just be better than yesterday. That's all."
"Surpassing me is just the beginning."
Van Basten's endorsement has added weight to calls for Yang Yang's continued inclusion in the senior national team setup.
Looking at Ajax's remaining schedule, the path seems wide open. Of the six fixtures, only AZ Alkmaar pose a significant challenge—and that match will also be held at the Amsterdam Arena.
If Yang Yang maintains his current form, it's entirely possible that he will not only surpass Henk Groot's historic 41-goal haul, but also go beyond Coen Dillen's all-time Eredivisie record of 43 goals in a single season.
That record has stood since the 1956–57 campaign.
And now, more than half a century later, it might finally be under threat.