After eight successive wins PSV Eindhoven suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Groningen at the Philips Stadion.
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With Phillip Cocu missing the match after undergoing back surgery last week, Ernest Faber was put in charge as PSV looked to cement their place in 2nd after Vitesse dropped points.
The game got off to a perfect start for PSV as Memphis Depay opened the scoring after only three minutes with a spectacular overhead effort from outside the box which looped over a stranded Marco Bizot and into the empty net.
However then things went wrong as Groningen equalised on 18 minutes when Filip Kostic raced down the left before his cross was turned into the net by Richairo Zivkovic.
Two minutes later Groningen had the lead when Karim Rekik was robbed off the ball on the edge of the box, and Kostic rifled an unstoppable shot through Jeroen Zoet’s legs to make it 2-1.
PSV were awarded a dubious penalty on 37 minutes after Bryan Ruiz was adjudged to have been tripped in the box, and Jurgen Locadia made no mistake from the spot to make it 2-2 at the break.
Georginio Wijnaldum made his long awaited comeback from injury at half time, and his sliding effort was inches away from giving PSV the lead early in the 2nd half.
With 25 minutes left Tjarron Chery curled a free kick into the box, and the ball evaded the onrushing Eric Botteghin and Jeroen Zoet and ended up in the back of the net to make it 3-2.
Depay shot straight at Bizot from the edge of the area, before the winger was denied a penalty late on after going down from the goalkeeper’s challenge.
Groningen held on for all three points which lifts them into 8th and the European play-off spots. PSV fail to move three points clear in 2nd, and due to goal difference they now drop to third below Vitesse.
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