Van Bommel and Pepi help PSV past stubborn Excelsior

PSV picked up their first VriendenLoterij Eredivisie win of the season on Saturday night. Peter Bosz's side beat Excelsior 2-1 away from home. Ruben van Bommel opened the scoring early on before Casper Widell levelled after the break. PSV responded straight away through Ricardo Pepi and avenged last week's false start against Fortuna Sittard (2-2).

Among the players Bosz brought back into the starting XI were Sergiño Dest and Joey Veerman. Kodai Sano made his official PSV debut as a second-half substitute. Excelsior were without captain Noah Naujoks due to a minor injury, so Widell wore the armband from the start.

Excelsior began brightly and quickly looked dangerous in PSV's half, but after five minutes the ball was in the net at the other end. Veerman slipped Wanner through with a perfect pass, the German was denied by goalkeeper Stijn van Gassel, and Van Bommel calmly tucked away the rebound for 0-1.

That early setback did not knock the home side off course, and soon after they carved out an opening through David Garden and Nika Yegoian. Chances then dried up and neither side threatened much for a long spell. PSV still went close to a second in the 36th minute, but Van Gassel kept out a powerful Perisic header.

With a narrow lead intact, PSV were handed a big chance to pull clear shortly after the restart. Dest burst past his man and went one-on-one with Van Gassel, but the goalkeeper stopped 0-2. Pepi would have preferred Dest to square it to him in that move.

Then Excelsior struck at the other end a minute later. Yegoian swung in the cross and Widell headed home in the 54th minute for 1-1. The home side had barely any time to enjoy it, because Pepi restored PSV's lead less than two minutes later with a close-range finish after a wonderful cross from Dest.

Next, Bosz introduced debutant Sano and Amir Bouhamdi for Wanner and Van Bommel. PSV had chances to kill the game after that but could not take them. Sano had the best opening in the 76th minute when he raced through on Van Gassel, only for the Excelsior goalkeeper to save with an outstretched leg.

So it finished 2-1, giving PSV their first league win of the season after the earlier 2-2 draw with Fortuna Sittard. Excelsior stay on three points from two matches.