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Match Report: UEFA Cup: Ajax 3 - Ghent 0
Ajax entertains crowd in obligatory Ghent game
28 September: Of course, Ajax already reached the
next round of the UEFA-cup two weeks ago, as they humiliated AA
Ghent with a superb 0-6 victory. The home match, therefore, was
of no importance. Ajax didn't have to; Ghent didn't want to.
But before the match, Ajax coach Co Adriaanse stated that he
had three good reasons for wanting to win.
First of all, to entertain the home crowd and the people
watching the match on television. Secondly, for the three
points that are important for the Dutch teams, since those
points stipulate the number of teams from each country to
participate in the Champions League and UEFA Cup. A win,
concluded Adriaanse, was important for Ajax' own
self-confidence, too, which was under a lot of pressure the
last few weeks.
Ajax and Adriaanse succeeded. In an entertaining match, Ajax
defeated the Belgians again: 3-0, making it 9-0 on aggregate,
an exceptional score in international football. Especially
against a top team from a not-so-small soccer country like
Belgium. And again, Ajax played with an extremely young team,
due to several injuries. Grønkjær, Vierklau,
Knopper, Arveladze and Galásek were all injured. De
Cler, Passanen, Bobson, Van der Gun and Van der Vaart,
therefore, played from the start.
So did Aron Winter. The captain, who was accused of a lack
of fighting spirit by Adriaanse and was left out of the team
against RBC, was now back, right from kick-off again. But,
according to Adriaanse, "only because of all the other
injuries".
Winter, who had furiously left the ArenA after the RBC
match, seemed to have taken the blame seriously. Against Ghent
he played far more dominantly than in previous games. From the
midfield, on the right side, he played offensively, with loads
of attacking impulses. The crowd saw him providing the assists
for 1-0 (27) and, in the second half, 2-0 (58). Both times an
attacking Winter put Cedric van der Gun in scoring position.
The 21-year-old Ajacied had no problem finishing Winter's
passes.
For a few minutes one could think that Ajax' scoring problem
was over, with these new young players, until 17-year-old Van
der Vaart missed a huge chance. For an almost open goal his
shot went straight into the stands. And later on Brutil
Hosé, who had replaced 'man of the match' Van der Gun,
missed in front of an open goal. Five minutes before the end of
the game Van der Vaart made up for his mistake by scoring Ajax'
third. The weak Ghent goalkeeper Herpoel helped him this time
since the shot on goal didn't look too dangerous.
The 3-0 victory was deserved, even though the play wasn't
that good on some points, especially the passing, and although
AA Ghent allowed themselves to be led easily to the slaughter.
Ajax put Adriaanse's demands into practice: entertain the crowd
and win the game. The locker-room riot Adriaanse caused last
week apparently worked out very well in the end and helped to
bring back a fighting spirit into the team. Some media believed
that Adriaanse took too much risk with the humiliation of the
two experienced players Winter and Witschge. But as Adriaanse
said earlier: "A manager who doesn't take risks is a bad
manager." (BV)
Goals:
- 27' 1-0 Cedric van der Gun
- 58' 2-0 Cedric van der Gun
- 85' 3-0 Rafael van der Vaart
Referee: Fröhlich (Ger).
Bookings: Schepens (AA Ghent).
Attendance: 24,000
Ajax line-up: Grim; Bergdølmo, Pasanen, De Cler;
Winter, Chivu (76. Yakubu), Van der Gun (74. Hose),Witschge;
Van der Meyde, Van der Vaart, Bobson (64. Wamberto).
AA Ghent line-up: Herpoel; Peeters, Ramcic, Cipi,
Pedersen; Gajser, Joly, Laamers, Schepens (60. Nielsen);
Kraouche (71. Hossam), Kaklamanos.
