Narrow escapes Ajax and PSV keep Dutch title race wide open

Ajax and PSV booked difficult victories over SC Cambuur (1-0) and Willem II (2-0) respectively on Saturday, but maintained their bids for the Dutch championship intact.

Ajax opened Saturday night with a narrow win over SC Cambuur in Leeuwarden. The league leaders hardly created chances in the first half and saw defender Mike van der Hoorn limp off with a head wound and a thigh injury. He was replaced by Ricardo van Rhijn.

With substitute Anwar El Ghazi for Lasse Schone the visitors were stronger in the second half. El Ghazi set up the winning goal with a cross on Davy Klaassen, who headed in in the 61st minute.

After that goal Ajax had several chances to double the scoring, but El Ghazi, Amin Younes, Arek Milik en Riechedly Bazoer missed the opportunities to decide the match. Despite some difficulties in the final phase Ajax kept a clean-sheet and grabbed the victory.

With the win of Ajax the pressure was on reigning champions PSV, which finished the first half against Willem II in Eindhoven with a 0-0 score and started the second part with the knowledge that Ajax had gained three points.

After Santiago Arias received his second yellow card in the 57th minute the pressure on the home-team became even higher. However, with ten against eleven Marco van Ginkel, who had already hit the cross-bar in the first half, broke the deadlock in the 68th minute: 1-0.

Luuk de Jong missed his first chance to make it 2-0 (he hit the post), but the striker decided the match in the 79th minute. He was brought down by Dries Wuytens in the penalty area and converted the awarded penalty himself to score his 20th goal of the season.

With four rounds remaining in the Eredivisie Ajax are on 74 points, while reigning champions PSV trail by two points. Next week Ajax play at home to FC Utrecht and PSV meet Roda JC in Kerkrade.