Ajax have been crowned the 2023/24 KPN eDivisie champions after a breathtaking win over PSV Eindhoven in the final.

It was a victory filled with plenty of emotion as Ajax were forced to battle back from serious adversity. Luckily for them, FC Pro Open winner PHzin, was able to maintain his composure in a tense penalty shootout against PSV Eindhoven’s ManuBachoore to ensure they came away with the trophy.

With this win, PHzin and Levi De Weerd have secured their spots in the eChampions League in May. Both players had already gained entry into the FC Pro World Championships, meaning they’ve got a busy end to the season ahead of them as they look to add more trophies to their cabinet.

Check out our recap of everything that went down during this weekend’s competition.

Quarter- finals

Ajax vs Heracles

The dream team of Levi de Weerd and PHzin were as dangerous as many expected they’d be as they destroyed Heracles 9-2 in their quarter-finals matchup.

Despite doing everything to try and reduce the deficit, Heracles’ Collin and Vince were not at the level of their Ajax counterparts and were dominated in both games.

Following Levi de Weerd’s emphatic 5-1 victory in the first-leg, PHzin maintained his teammates momentum by smashing Collin 4-1. PHzin and Levi De Weerd produced wave after wave of attack, with both players proving masterful with picking the right amount of extra passes needed to carve open their opponent’s defense.

Ajax win 9-2 on aggregate

FC Twente vs Feyenoord

Mika continued his epic rise through the KPN eDivisie ranks, defeating veteran FC Player Berg in what would turn out to be the decisive victory for FC Twente.

The 18-year-old has had an incredible journey so far this season, starting his rookie year in the KPN eDivisie as a substitute before gaining and keeping his spot for the Dutch side. He proved early on that this was the right decision as he dominated Berg with relative ease, putting his team 2-0 up in the first leg.

However, the second leg wasn’t as easy for his teammate, Weerink, who suffered a slight scare when Feyenoord’s Tahla made it 1-0 early in the first-half. Tahla would continue to press throughout the second half, forcing the FC Twente player to lose the ball regularly in key areas.

Sadly for Tahla, he wasn’t able to push on with the chances he made for himself and get the extra goal needed to tie the game on aggregate.

FC Twente win 2-1 on aggregate

Excelsior vs PSV Eindhoven

PSV Eindhoven secured a quarter-final win over Excelsior’s Luuk Wijdeveld and TyGoo513, however the victory didn’t come easy for the KPN eDivisie 2020/21 Season 2 winners.

Emre Yilmaz started the first-leg as many expected, smashing in three goals against Wijdeveld. However, he made a few mistakes that allowed his opponent to get back into the game and make it 3-2.

If Yilmaz’s teammate, Manu, felt any extra added pressure going into the second-leg, he didn’t show it as he crushed TyGoo513 4-1 to make sure his team walked away with the win.

PSV Eindhoven win 7-3 on aggregate

AZ Alkmaar vs PEC Zwolle

In what turned out to be one of the most dramatic games of the weekend, PEC Zwolle came back from 2-0 down to beat AZ Alkmaar 3-2.

Chris De Boer, playing for AZ Alkmaar, gave his teammate a solid lead in the first leg, defeating Dijkies 2-0 without too much trouble. However, the two goal cushion wasn’t enough to save his team from defeat as Giobundyy pulled off a fantastic comeback.

The PEC Zwolle man refused to give up on his team’s chances of making it to the next round, smashing in three goals to make the crowd erupt and send his team into the semi-final.

Semi-finals

Ajax vs FC Twente

PHzin and Levi De Weerd put on another spectacular performance in the semi-finals, defeating FC Twente’s Weerink and Mika 9-3 on aggregate.

Much like their quarter-finals game against Heracles, the Ajax duo dominated in both legs and there was little doubt that they’d go through. FC Twente should be applauded for their efforts, but stopping PHzin and De Weerd was impossible on this day.

Both Ajax players put on another spectacular attacking display, suffocating their opponents with relentless pressure, impressive control, and incisive passing. However, it was their in-game IQ that stood out the most as they were able to take advantage of any mistakes the FC Twente players made.

Ajax win 9-3 on aggregate

PSV Eindhoven vs PEC Zwolle

PSV Eindhoven ensured that the highly-anticipated final between Ajax came to fruition by beating PEC Zwolle in their semi-final game.

Emre Yilmaz wrecked PEC Zwolle’s Dijikies 4-1 in their first leg, seemingly setting up an easy second-leg clash between his teammate, ManuBachoore, and quarter-finals comeback king, GioBundyy.

PEC’s Bundyy was close to doing the unthinkable by bringing his team back into the tie, turning a 1-0 scoreline to 3-1 and reducing the deficit on the aggregate to -1. However, Manu was able to stop his opponent’s momentum and score two goals to get the draw and the win overall.

PSV win 7-4 on aggregate

Final

Ajax vs PSV Eindhoven

A thrilling final between Dutch esports giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven saw plenty of action, but it was PHzin and Levi De Weerd who lifted the trophy.

De Weerd had a tight game against 23/24 eChampions League champ Emre Yilmaz, but was able to come out on top against his opponent with a fantastic 3-2 win. A late-winner with Erling Haaland gave Ajax the advantage in this captivating best-of-three matchup.

Although the first match was a close one, the second was a more decisive win as Manu demolished PHzin in a 4-1. The Brazilian was left dumbfounded as the former world champion unleashed a flurry of attacks against him that he couldn’t stop.

This meant that the final would be decided with a third and final game as PHzin sought revenge against Manu. A penalty for PHzin in the third minute put the game in his favour, but a late equaliser from his opponent made sure the game went to extra time.

Manu scored to make it 2-1 in the first-half of extra time, but PHzin would draw level with the last touch of the game as he scored an incredible header to take the game to penalties.

It was tense for both players as they attempted to keep their nerve, but in the end, PHzin would save a penalty in the sudden death stage to earn a hard-fought victory and the 2023/24 KPN eDivisie trophy for Ajax.

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