PSV Eindhoven paid tribute to injured defender Sergiño Dest before putting on a show in a 8-0 thrashing of Heerenveen, in which Dest’s United States teammate Malik Tillman scored twice.
The win equaled PSV’s record road victory and saw them move to within touching distance of winning their 22nd Dutch Eredivisie title.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL more (U.S.)
It would have been enough to clinch the championship had Feyenoord failed to beat Go Ahead Eagles later in the day but a 3-1 win for the second-placed side means PSV will have to wait until hosting Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday to begin the celebrations.
PSV’s players walked out ahead of the match wearing special shirts with Dest’s No. 8 on the back after the 23-year-old suffered what the club called a “serious” knee injury in training at the weekend. Dest, who is on loan at PSV this season from Barcelona, is set to miss the rest of the club’s season and this summer’s Copa America, which is being hosted by the U.S.
ANP via Getty Images
His teammates wasted no time in honouring their fallen colleague. Within 11 minutes they were 3-0 up and already cruising to victory. Tillman, who is on loan from Bayern Munich, scored twice to take his league tally to nine after Guus Til had opened the scoring in the seventh minute.
Til scored again on the half-hour mark and Joey Veerman made it 5-0 by half-time. Johan Bakayoko, Luuk de Jong and Patrick van Aanholt put the seal on the emphatic win in the second half.
PSV have a nine-point lead and a vastly superior goal difference over Feyenoord with three games of the season remaining.
Dest has made 37 appearances for PSV this season, scoring two goals and assisting seven more. Despite his injury, PSV manager Peter Bosz said on Wednesday that he still wants to sign Dest on a permanent deal.