FC Groningen player looks back with a big grin on the match that put PSV at the top: “You’re not champions; PSV is the champion.”

For every PSV fan, the date 14 May 2025 will still be fresh in their memory. On that day, PSV regained the top spot in the Eredivisie in the 33rd matchday after Peter Bosz’s team had earlier that season squandered a nine-point lead over Ajax.

On 30 March, the Amsterdamers seemed to be delivering the knockout blow in the title race by winning 0-2 against PSV. As a result, the gap between Ajax and PSV was nine points in favor of the capital club, with still seven competitive matches to go. It produced some remarkable scenes. Ball boys at FC Groningen, analysts and journalists all experienced a special evening.

In matchday 30, however, the turning point came when Ajax lost 4-0 in Utrecht to FC Utrecht and Farioli’s team kept feeling the hot breath of PSV on their neck because Bosz’s side kept on winning everything. In matchday 32, PSV won after a comeback with 2-3 in De Kuip against Feyenoord and, surprisingly, Ajax went down 0-3 at home against NEC, which meant the difference after two games was still only one point in favor of the Amsterdammers.

Matchday 33 was a midweek matchday in which PSV at home had no trouble at all with Heracles Almelo and won 4-1, causing attention to quickly shift to the game FC Groningen - Ajax. With the score at 1-2, in the 99th minute the Groningers were awarded a free kick from which defender Thijmen Blokzijl managed to get the 2-2 equalizer in, leading to an explosion of joy in both the Philips Stadium and the Euroborg.

On the last free kick, goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen came forward and the goalie caused a lot of unrest in the penalty area of the Amsterdammers. In the NAC podcast D'n Hoefcast, Vaessen looks back on this evening.

According to the current closing line of FC Groningen, the match was already highly charged before it even started due to an interview by Vaessen with RTV Noord. ''I had given an interview to RTV Noord; the reporter asked two or three times: 'Who do you hope will become champions?' The third time I say: then go ahead and make it PSV, because I'm from Brabant anyway. And then you're already under pressure before the match,'' the goalkeeper looks back in the podcast.

In addition, Vaessen addresses the fact that the goalkeeper moved upfield in the absolute closing stages during the last free kick of FC Groningen. ''At a certain point we are 2-1 down. We were awarded a free kick. I then thought for ten seconds: should I create unrest or just stay standing in the middle of the pitch? At a certain point I come into conversation with Henderson and I say: this one is going in, just watch. He says: 'You're a clown!' I say: yes, I am'', according to the goalkeeper.

After that, defender Blokzijl actually ensured it was 2-2, and Vaessen jumped up onto the stands to celebrate the equalizer with the fervent support of Dick Lukkien’s team. ''They were shaken. Then you can say afterwards: 'That's because of me', but I don't want to go that far,'' the goalkeeper adds.

After the match, there was still a fight between team members of both sides in which Vaessen was also involved. ''I understand the Ajax players too; I was just really irritating in that match. They came to me to get their side of the story. Klaassen kneed me in the balls, Brobbey grabbed me. I said: you’re not champions. PSV will be champions next week. At a certain point that assistant also came over. He grabbed me too, and then it got a bit out of hand. Now I’m being portrayed as anti-Ajax. I had to play in Volendam recently as well; it was like they thought I’d let their club go bankrupt'', the goalkeeper concludes.