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Match Report: FC Utrecht 2 - Ajax 1

Wayward Ajax lose again on the road

26 November: A depleted Ajax squad lost again away from home, having been outplayed and out-muscled by a more determined Utrecht team. The Amsterdammers' fourth road loss comes on the heels of two consecutive road victories, including a promising victory at NAC Breda just seven days ago.

Utrecht came out the more aggressive team in the first half, repeatedly challenging a stuttering Ajax defense in the first twenty minutes of play. Meanwhile, a rag-tag Ajax line-up struggled to find its form in midfield.

The game's linch-pin moment came in the nineteenth minute, when referee Luinge sent off Ajax goalkeeper Fred Grim for what looked like a very legitimate challenge on an onrushing Utrecht player. (The KNVB has since overturned Grim's suspension after reviewing the play.)

Although Utrecht missed the ensuing penalty, Ajax would suffer from the man-disadvantage. Lobont, who made his Eredivisie debut at the expense of Shota Arveladze, did not look like much of an improvement in goal. Both Utrecht goals looked like they might have been parried if not caught outright. And on several nerve-wracking occasions, the young Romanian wandered out near midfield to clear the ball when his advantage was not at all certain.

Ajax began the second half in a much brighter mood. Aron Winter was sacrificed for the Ajax-1 debut of Hersi, and the youngster made an equal number of impressive and regrettable moves. An Ajax free kick from the top of the 18-yard box hit the upright, and the follow-on shot by Hersi was well-taken but equally well-saved by Utrecht keeper Wapenaar.

Ajax finally equalized in the 57th minute on Petri Pasanen's expertly placed header on a corner kick. The Amsterdam squad created several more quality chances, but rarely seemed capable of finishing what they'd begun. The substitution of an eager but hapless Wamberto seemed long overdue in the 77th minute.

Meanwhile, the well organized Utrecht side continued to expose frailties in the Ajax defense, and the late goal by Yugoslavian Igor Gluscevic seemed the inevitable climax to the home side's relentless pressure.

Ajax nearly stole a point in the waning moments, but some ingenious combinations by Van der Vaart, Pasanen and Van der Gun never quite cracked through the stalwarts in the Utrecht defense. (JM)

GOALS

• 35' 1-0 Reinier Robbemond
• 57' 1-1 Petri Pasanen
• 80' 2-1 Igor Gluscevic

Referee: Luinge
Yellow cards: Shew-Atjon, Kuyt, De Jong, Vreven (FC Utrecht), Hersi, Wamberto (Ajax)
Red card: 17' Grim (Ajax)
Attendance: 14,200
Line-up Ajax: Grim; Bergdølmo, Chivu, Pasanen, De Cler; Winter (46. Hersi), Galásek, Van der Vaart; Van der Gun, Arveladze (19. Lobont), Wamberto (77. Van der Meyde).
Line-up FC Utrecht: Wapenaar; Vreven, Zwaanswijk, Van der Gaag (73. Schut), Shew-Atjon; De Jong, Groenendijk, Robbemond; Gluscevic, Kuyt (78. Berger), Van den Bergh (46. Dombi).