The Japan Times - Ajax woe as PSV Eindhoven crowned Dutch champions

A 3-1 win at Sparta Rotterdam was enough to hand Peter Bosz and his men the Eredivisie title, which culminated in one of the most exciting climaxes in living memory.

PSV had all but given up hope of the championship. With only five matches to play, four-time European champions Ajax were nine points clear and seemingly cruising to the title.

In what was billed as a championship decider, Ajax beat PSV 2-0 in Eindhoven on March 30 and all seemed set fair for the Dutch giants to claim their 37th Eredivisie crown.

But Ajax, hoping to bounce back from one of their worst ever seasons last year, collapsed in spectacular fashion, losing twice and drawing twice to hand PSV the initiative.

The penultimate match was especially painful for Ajax. With fate still in their hands, one point ahead of PSV, they conceded an equaliser in the ninth minute of extra time against Groningen.

This 2-2 draw allowed PSV, who had won six straight games since that loss to Ajax, to leapfrog their Amsterdam rivals, meaning three points on Sunday was enough for glory.

PSV fans had been frustrated by the team's inconsistency for most of the season.

An undoubted high point was beating Premier League champions Liverpool in a 3-2 Champions League thriller at the Philips Stadion.

But PSV's European journey ended in abject humiliation, as they were dismantled 7-1 at home by a rampant Arsenal.

Domestically, they struggled to replicate last year's dominant form, when they lost only once.

They were beaten by Ajax in both their league games but also suffered frustrating defeats to PEC Zwolle, Go Ahead Eagles, and Heerenveen.

Nevertheless, they showed resilience when it mattered in the final weeks.

A winner deep in injury time against Feyenoord, the other member of the Eredivisie "big three", kept them in the hunt with two games remaining.

For the second straight season, they have scored more than 100 goals, with Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, and Ricardo Pepi all in double figures.

But off the field, Lang has been a constant source of controversy, clashing with his own fans and the subject of multiple transfer rumours.

- 'Already given up' -

PSV's 26th Eredivisie title will be all the sweeter as it came from such an improbable position.

"After the home defeat against Ajax, we had already given up. We were nine points behind," said De Jong.

"I have never experienced this before... There was a lot of joy because we didn't dare to dream of this anymore. It turns out that hunting is sometimes easier."

For Ajax and their fans, this painful capitulation is a lost opportunity to ease the agony of last season's disastrous campaign.

The Amsterdam giants suffered their worst-ever start to a season last year, at one point propping up the Eredivisie table -- immortalised by one jubilant PSV fan who tattooed the standings on his body.

Being booted out of the Dutch Cup by rank amateurs Hercules was another nadir but a leadership shake-up saw England star Jordan Henderson brought in as captain and Italian Francesco Farioli as the new coach.

Farioli had identified Champions League football as the target for this year, which he has achieved.

But this season will surely be remembered at Ajax for the "what if", not the second place and spot in Europe.

"That hurts. A lot," the Ajax Supporters Association wrote on its website after the points dropped at Groningen.

"Before this season, many Ajax fans would have bitten your hand off for a second place in the Eredivisie... But with Ajax almost smelling the title, a drop to second place still hurts so much.

"So near, but so far."

M.Sugiyama--JT