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Feyenoord beats Eredivisie leader PSV Eindhoven 2-1 to gain ground in title race

By: The Associated Press

Posted: 02/24/2013 9:08 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/24/2013 10:06 AM

AMSTERDAM - Feyenoord came back from a goal down to beat Eredivisie league leader PSV Eindhoven 2-1 Sunday and gain valuable ground in the tight Dutch title race.

The Feyenoord fightback put the Rotterdam club in third place on 47 points, just three points behind PSV.

Second-place Ajax wasted a chance to draw level on points with PSV when it had to rely on a late goal by Lasse Schoene to salvage a 1-1 draw with ADO The Hague.

In-form forward Jeremain Lens gave PSV the lead in the 34th minute, finishing off a one-two with Tim Matavz after Feyenoord midfielder Jordie Clasie had needlessly given the ball away.

Clasie made amends early in the second half when his pass freed winger Ruben Schaken to draw Feyenoord level. Graziano Pelle sealed all three points for Feyenoord with a 68th-minute strike.

"We were behind at the break, but didn't deserve to be," Feyenoord coach Ronald Koeman said. "We lacked conviction in the first half, particularly in attack. We managed to put that right in the second half. We were better, more aggressive, won more tackles, were more threatening and in the end we deserved to win."

In Amsterdam, ADO took the lead on the half hour through a lob from Tjaronn Chery and Ajax had an equalizer ruled out before the break when a shot by Kolbeinn Sigthorsson appeared to have crossed the line but was not given. Schoene finally secured the point that took Ajax to within two points of PSV with an 85th-minute strike.

"We had good chances, but lacked the sharpness to convert them," said Ajax coach Frank de Boer.

On Saturday, Steve McClaren's FC Twente conceded a late winner to lose 2-1 at SC Heerenveen and heap more pressure on the former England coach. Twente, a serious title contender before the league's winter break, has now lost two matches and drawn four since play resumed in the new year to slip to fifth place, six points behind PSV.

"We're disappointed, it's a game we shouldn't have lost," McClaren said.

McClaren led Twente to its first ever Dutch league title in 2010 and said he is confident he can turn things around this season, but acknowledged the pressure he is under to get results could lead to talks about his future.

"If people feel I'm the problem, and the club want to do something, I'm sure we'll sit down and discuss it," he said.

Also Saturday, Wilfried Bony scored a hat trick and missed a penalty to take his league-leading goal tally to 22 as Vitesse Arnhem beat Heracles Almelo 5-3.

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