PSV Eindhoven have been crowned Dutch champions after staging an extraordinary late-season comeback to snatch the Eredivisie title from the grasp of fierce rivals Ajax.
A 3-1 victory away at Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday sealed the 26th league title for PSV, completing one of the most astonishing title races in recent memory. With just five matches remaining, Ajax held a commanding nine-point lead and looked certain to secure a record-extending 37th Eredivisie crown.
PSV’s title hopes appeared to be all but extinguished when they lost 2-0 at home to Ajax on March 30 in what many saw as the decisive fixture in the championship race.
However, while Ajax faltered under pressure, PSV found a new gear, embarking on a six-match winning run that overturned the seemingly unassailable gap.
Ajax, desperate to recover from their worst-ever campaign last season, collapsed at the most crucial moment.
The Amsterdam club dropped vital points by drawing two matches and losing two more, including a devastating 2-2 draw at Groningen, where they conceded a last-gasp equaliser deep into stoppage time. That slip-up allowed PSV to leapfrog them with just one game remaining.
PSV’s season had been a rollercoaster, marked by inconsistency and disappointment in Europe, including a humiliating 7-1 thrashing at home by Arsenal after a memorable 3-2 win over Liverpool.
Domestically, they suffered frustrating defeats and were twice beaten by Ajax, but their fighting spirit came to the fore in the campaign’s final stretch.
A dramatic injury-time winner against Feyenoord kept their hopes alive with two games to go, and their relentless scoring form—over 100 goals for the second straight season—proved decisive.
Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, and Ricardo Pepi all reached double figures, providing the firepower needed to overhaul Ajax.
Speaking after the title was secured, De Jong admitted even the players had written themselves off. “After the home defeat against Ajax, we had already given up. We were nine points behind,” he said. “I have never experienced this before… There was a lot of joy because we didn’t dare to dream of this anymore.”
For Ajax, the end of the season marks a painful collapse and a missed opportunity to banish the ghosts of last year’s nightmare campaign, which saw them briefly sitting at the foot of the table.
A promising revival under new coach Francesco Farioli and captain Jordan Henderson did bring a return to Champions League football, but the way the title slipped away will haunt the club and its fans.
The Ajax Supporters Association reflected the mood of many when it said, “Before this season, many Ajax fans would have bitten your hand off for second place… But with Ajax almost smelling the title, a drop to second place still hurts so much. So near, but so far.”
