To mark the club's 107th anniversary, the north side of the Johan Cruyff ArenA was opened. Thousands of supporters took their seats in the stands to watch PSV vs Ajax on a big screen. They witnessed Ajax secure a dominant victory in Eindhoven.
Eighteen years later, former Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg still remembers the feeling of leaving the Philips Stadion with all three points. "Winning in Eindhoven never gets old," the keeper says. "I always enjoyed that hostile atmosphere."
Urby Emanuelson also vividly recalls that match. "At that time, we always struggled against PSV. I think that 1-5 win marked a turning point in the rivalry between PSV and Ajax. After that, we started picking up more points in Eindhoven." Before that 2007 victory, Ajax had gone twelve and a half years without winning a league match away to PSV.
When Ajax won in Eindhoven on 18 March 2007, they were still chasing league leaders PSV. By mid-March, Ajax were eight points behind the team from Brabant. "Everything just clicked in that match,"
Emanuelson recalls. "We played exciting football, scored great goals; we were clearly the better team that afternoon. I still remember Wesley Sneijder's goal, Edgar Davids' rocket against the crossbar, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s header, and Tom de Mul’s assists."
Yet, another moment from that match also stands out to the defender. "Patrick Kluivert came on as a substitute for PSV. As an Ajax player, that was still a special moment, even though he was playing for another club."
Emanuelson believes Ajax were in excellent form around that match against PSV in 2007. Despite being far behind the Eindhoven side in the league, the team remained confident in their title chances. "We showed that we could also win away at PSV."
The parallels with this season are easy to draw: PSV vs Ajax is once again a title-deciding clash in 2025. Four years ago, in 2021, the same was true. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the stadium in Eindhoven was empty. For Stekelenburg, that was his last encounter with PSV in Eindhoven. "That time, it wasn't a win, but a 1-1 draw – and it was decisive for the championship. If we had won, the title race would have been over, but even with a draw, it was practically settled. We were awarded a penalty in the dying moments, and Dusan Tadic converted it. That match sticks with me the most."
Ajax’s role this Sunday is almost identical. Francesco Farioli’s team will travel to Eindhoven as league leaders, with a six-point advantage. "This match will be decisive for the championship, I think. If Ajax win, the title race is over," Stekelenburg argues.
Emanuelson agrees with his former teammate. "I expect PSV to come out all guns blazing. But I also expect Ajax to weather the storm and sneak away with the win. The team must stay compact, especially in difficult moments – and there will be difficult moments because PSV have to win, and they have a lot of quality. It’s just like Farioli always says: 'the passion, the mentality, and the belief must be there.'"
