30 April 2007, by Sean Gillen

Manuel da Costa celebrates as PSV snatch title in dramatic fashion

Ex-Benfica boss Ronaldo Koeman lifts Dutch championship

Manuel da Costa became the latest Portuguese footballer to win a league championship winners medal after PSV snatched the Dutch Eredivisie title on a dramatic final day in Holland.

The defending champions had thrown away a comfortable lead at the top in recent weeks, and slipped down to third last weekend behind AZ Alkmaar and rivals Ajax at the table’s summit.

The three sides went into Sunday’s final day of matches level on points, with AZ leading the table due to a superior goal difference and Ajax one goal better off than PSV.

With fate in their own hands, AZ blew their chance to clinch the title after they were beaten 3-2 at Excelsior, having had their goalkeeper sent off early on. Meanwhile, Ajax were 2-0 away winners at Willem II.

With all three games played simultaneously, PSV needed to win by a four-goal margin at home against Vitesse Arnhem at the Phillips Stadium to overhaul Ajax, who had a better goals scored record.

Things began brightly for the champions when Alex (8) and Jefferson Farfan (10) put them 2-0 up, but Theo Janssen pulled a goal back for Vitesse on thirteen minutes and there were no further goals before half time.

With news filtering through that AZ were struggling, PSV scored three second half goals through Ibrahim Afellay (59), another from Farfan (54) and the vital third coming in the 77th minute from captain Phillip Cocu.

Portuguese defender da Costa, finishing his first season in Holland, was ruled out of the match with a knee injury. However, the 20-year-old has played his part for the side in the second half of the season, starting 14 league games and four in the Champions League, while also contributing one goal.

It is PSV’s third league title in a row and their 20th in total. Current boss, former Benfica manager Ronald Koeman, has now won the Dutch championship with both of the country’s biggest sides, having won it twice with Ajax, in 2002 and 2004.