Europa Cup I winner PSV: “That’s the only thing I thought”
1 min readThe season 1987/1988 is undoubtedly so far the most successful season in the club’s history of PSV. Under the leadership of Guus Hiddink, PSV won the national double with overwhelming dominance and the team also won the Europa Cup I on 25 May 1988 by defeating the Portuguese Benfica in the final on penalties with a score of 6-5.
In that season, Wim Kieft returned to the Netherlands to go and play football for PSV. The former striker had played in Italy for a few years and decided in 1987 to return to the Netherlands.
Where the native Amsterdammer took the penalties in Italy, that was not the case at PSV, the former international recalls. ''In Italy I did take the penalties, but when I came to PSV, we had Ronald Koeman'', says the former PSV player in the podcast KieftJansenEgmondGijp.
When the final PSV - Benfica in Stuttgart ended with the taking of penalty kicks, it was ultimately Kieft who took the ball from eleven meters out to score into the goal. "I took the second or the third, I think. Where I shot it? To the right of the keeper," the former striker still recalls.
After that, writer Michel van Egmond joins in. ''What do you still remember about that penalty?'', to which Kieft replies: ''I thought: 'I just don't want to miss him'. That's the only thing I thought.''
Then Van Egmond continues. ''That's not a nice thought, really'', says the writer. ''No, but the pressure is of course very high'', Kieft answers next.
Eventually PSV managed to win the penalty shootout when Hans van Breukelen was able to save the sixth penalty from right-back António Veloso. ''Nobody missed, by the way, because we were fifteen penalties in and the goalkeepers still hadn’t stopped a single one. It’s just that that right-back from Benfica shot it so badly into the net that Hans van Breukelen had to keep it out. No, you just pick a corner. And then, as hard as possible, so the keeper can’t get to it. It’s enormous pressure. You can certainly have that endless debate, but you can’t train it,'' concludes the current analyst.
Comments6
Even Kieft admits the only plan was to pick a corner and blast it. Still, i dont get why you assume it cannot be trained, because the team can definitely rehearse routines, angles and goalkeeper reads. but yeah that Benfica player shot it so badly Hans had to save it lol 😂
"Niemand miste trouwens, want we waren vijftien strafschoppen verder" dat klinkt bijna onmogelijk, maar dat maakt die Veloso-momenten ook meteen des te mooier. Ik vind het sterk dat van Breukelen het vooral door hoek + power doet, niet door hoop. 6-5 is een klassieker, gewoon goated. 🔥
Wim Kieft die zegt dat hij alleen maar dacht "als ik hem maar niet mis"... tbh dat is precies hoe penalty's voelen. Wel grappig dat hij geen eigen penaltynemer was omdat Koeman er was, maar in Stuttgart kwam hij wél op het juiste moment. 🚀
Kieft saying "Als ik hem maar niet mis" is so real, tbh. The pressure in a shootout is different to regular games, you cannot really train the nerves away. 🙄
6-5 tegen Benfica, echt PEAK PSV. "Dat is het enige wat ik dacht" is zo eerlijk, maar bruh die druk moet echt gek zijn geweest. En Hans van Breukelen die zesde pakt, dat is gewoon historie.
Crazy that 15 penalties in and still "nobody missed". van Breukelen saving that 6th one from Veloso literally decided the whole night. 🔥👏