0225.html

Match Report: Solid Ajax beat FC Utrecht in first 15 minutes

	Referee Jaap Uilenberg looks on as Stijn Vreven and Shota Arveladze fight for the ball. [source: ANP]

25 February: Creating chances throughout the game and making no defensive mistakes. Ajax can do both, but apparently not in the same game. In recent away victories over De Graafschap and Fortuna Sittard, the Amsterdam defense was leaky, whereas three goals were easily scored upfront. Against FC Utrecht, Ajax was remarkably solid in the back, but hardly created any danger in the second half. In all cases, however, it was good enough for a win.

FC Utrecht's attitude at the ArenA contributed to the remarkably easy victory. The team completely lacked the aggression and determination which forced Ajax to its knees earlier this season in Utrecht. The scorer of the winning goal back then, Igor Gluscevic, was now invisible from the very first minute.

Strong performances by especially Tim de Cler and Petri Pasanen kept Utrecht's second striker, Dirk Kuyt, from being a threat. He did not come close to scoring before it was too late. Fred Grim saved a low Kuyt shot from close range far into the second half, and - a few minutes before the final whistle - Kuyt was face to face with Grim, but Petri Pasanen arrived just in time to block Kuyt's attempt.

The much discussed Ajax goalkeeper was having an excellent day. He had already saved a nastily flicked on Robbemond shot in the first minutes of the game. That moment was no indication of what was waiting for Ajax. In fact, the victory was already sealed after the first fifteen minutes, in which Petri Pasanen headed home from a Wamberto corner (11) and Tomás Galásek superbly volleyed Ajax's second in the back of the net from some 25 metres (15).

FC Utrecht needed the remainder of the first half to recover from the early blow. Ajax's play was aggressive, fluent and well-organized during that phase, in which Wamberto and Chivu (twice) could have put Ajax on its way to a larger victory.

The game - it seems to become an unfortunate tradition - collapsed in the second half. The pace of Ajax's combination play dropped, which made it easy for the FC Utrecht defense to keep the Amsterdammers away from the goal. Ajax missed the personnel to be dangerous, too: Nikos Machlas was suddenly hit by the flu during warming-up, which forced Co Adriaanse to line up Shota Arveladze, who was slightly injured as well. The Georgian played an insignificant part in the game. Rafaël van der Vaart, who returned in the team, was lined up on central midfield, making way for Richard Witschge on the left. Central midfield is not Van der Vaart's favourite position - and you could tell.

Utrecht, on the other hand, did not seem to believe in its chances anymore. One more boring second half was the result.

Ironically, Ajax has not played so well in 2001 yet as in the two months before the winter break, but the somewhat pale victories over De Graafschap, Fortuna and FC Utrecht have had spectacular effect. Ajax is third, no less than five points ahead of Vitesse, who lost again this weekend (2-1 at FC Twente).

In the mean time, the once enormous gap between Ajax and Feyenoord, although still of significant size, has shrunk almost 50% (from 17 to 9 points). Ajax faces the numbers 17, 13 and 16 of the table in its upcoming games. Spring is in the air, as they say... (MP)

GOALS

• 11' 1-0 Petri Pasanen
• 15' 2-0 Tomás Galásek

Referee: Uilenberg
Yellow card: Bosschaart (FC Utrecht)
Attendance: 32,864

Ajax line-up: Grim; Kanu, Pasanen, Chivu, De Cler; Galásek, Van der Vaart (86. Hersi), Witschge; Van der Gun (73. Cruz), Arveladze (60. Van der Meyde), Wamberto.

FC Utrecht: Wapenaar; Vreven, Zwaanswijk, Van der Gaag (46. Touzani), Shew-Atjon; Robbemond, De Jong (81. Tanghe), Bosschaart, Van den Bergh (46. Dombi); Kuyt, Gluscevic.