Goals and red cards highlight PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord after international break

The international break has ended and players from PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord and AZ are back with their clubs, ready to resume league action next weekend. The period produced a mix of goals, injuries and a striking red card after a double slap to the face.

PSV’s bright spots and setbacks

PSV captain Mauro Júnior made his Brazil debut, starting against Australia and later providing an assist as a substitute versus India. Two PSV players featured for the Netherlands: Guus Til received a late call‑up and logged many minutes, while Ruben van Bommel debuted and supplied a superb assist to Cody Gakpo against Germany. However, Lutsharel Geertruida suffered an early injury with the Oranje squad.

Ajax’s mixed fortunes

Ajax saw several debutants on the international stage. Jorthy Mokio earned his first minutes for DR Congo and Abdellah Ouazane debuted for Morocco. Tolu Arokodare returned to the Nigerian side after more than a year, appearing twice as a substitute. Goalkeeper Maarten Paes lifted the ASEAN Cup with Indonesia, beating Singapore 2‑0 in the final.

Midfielder Viktor Tsygankov captained Ukraine in the final match against Hungary but could not leave a lasting impact. Kasper Dolberg, meanwhile, returned with a knee injury, limiting his involvement.

Guardian praises two Dutch talents from Ajax and Feyenoord, plus a PSV player

Feyenoord’s challenges

Feyenoord midfielder (22) fell twice, against Greece and Serbia, while the club endured two injuries: Anis Hadj Moussa (Algeria) and Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Japan) left the training camp early. Their fitness for the upcoming clash with AZ remains uncertain.

AZ supplied several Jong Oranje players, including Elijah Dijkstra and Kees Smit, the latter withdrawing injured during warm‑up, casting doubt on his availability for Feyenoord.

Red card incident

During a match, AZ left‑back received a red card after delivering a double slap to an opponent’s face in the second half, a rare disciplinary episode that dominated headlines.

Coach Leeroy Echteld said, "the duo is fit enough for a return," after discussing the fitness of Wouter Goes and Ro‑Zangelo Daal, who had missed Jong Oranje duty through injury.