PSV went down to ten men away to ADO Den Haag on Saturday afternoon when Sven Mijnans was sent off. The forward had put the Eindhoven side ahead in spectacular fashion before receiving his second yellow card just before half-time. Arnold Bruggink gave ESPN his unequivocal verdict on both fouls.
After putting PSV ahead in the 21st minute, Mijnans picked up a yellow card for holding in the 38th. Five minutes later, a very late tackle in the opposition penalty area brought a second booking.
Speaking on ESPN, Bruggink took issue chiefly with the first yellow card. "That's not a yellow card," the pundit said firmly. "If a forward does that, it's immediately a yellow. But if a defender does it, it's never a yellow."
Bruggink couldn't understand why the referee booked Mijnans for holding. "The first one is ridiculous, I really think it's ridiculous," the former footballer stressed. He had no doubts, however, about the second yellow card.
"If you know you're on a yellow, you absolutely must never make that challenge. Never," said Bruggink, who noted that Mijnans immediately realised he was in trouble. "That's simply a yellow card. There's no debate about it."
Jan Joost van Gangelen felt Mijnans had completely misjudged the situation when committing his second foul. The PSV player seemed to think he would reach the ball well before his opponent, but arrived far too late. "A completely wrong judgement. Incredible, really, isn't it?" Bruggink said.
For Bruggink, Mijnans' earlier goal deserved plenty of praise. After Guus Til made a fine run in behind, the ball fell to the forward's feet and he fired it into the far corner with his weaker foot. "Technically, it's really not an easy ball. A very difficult ball, with his weaker foot. A truly magnificent goal. Beautiful," Bruggink said admiringly.