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Match Report: Ajax 6 - SC Heerenveen 2

Sparkling Ajax seems ready for 'Classic'
03 December: Once again, everyone was complaining about the ArenA pitch. Players seemed to just fall over and Heerenveen defender Gérard de Nooijer had to be replaced after only ten minutes, as he slipped and hyper-extended his knee. But on the ArenA's 23rd and worst ever pitch, Ajax scored nine goals in two games so far. SC Heerenveen was overrun, 6-2, in a match that might well be Ajax's finest performance of the season - and the best imaginable dress rehearsal for next week's Classic against Feyenoord.

Prior to the game, the Ajax line-up seemed so vulnerable: Cristian Chivu was missing due to an injury, Tom Sier - who replaced him excellently against RKC - was injured as well and Co Adriaanse decided to leave veterans Aron Winter and Richard Witschge out of the team.

Christopher Kanu played at right back. The team proved all pessimists wrong. The Frisians were dangerous for a little while after Dennis de Nooijer's superb curling shot, which brought both teams level (14) after a self-assured Wamberto strike had given Ajax an early lead. Fred Grim saved an open Talan chance.

The second period in which Heerenveen was threatening came right after the team's completely undeserved second goal: it was not Anthony Lurling's shot that made it 3-2, but Fred Grim's terrible blunder - a moment which goalkeepers have bad dreams about. For a few minutes the Frisians seemed close to equalizing again.

It is typical for Ajax's growing self-confidence that the team did not seem impressed by SC Heerenveen's goals. It took Ajax five minutes to overcome De Nooijer's equalizer: a well placed, low Nikos Machlas shot made it 2-1.

After Grim's lapse, (a furious Tomás Galásek shot had lifted the score to 3-1 by then), brilliant Cedric van der Gun had a threefold answer prepared. He first launched himself past defender Hansma with a subtle touch, penetrated the penalty box from the right and superbly fired into the upper corner (70).

SC Heerenveen's miraculous second goal was just a temporary setback, which Van der Gun cancelled out with one more supreme acceleration. His smart tip-in hit the post, but Shota Arveladze was there to finish (75).

And the Van der Gun show was not over yet. For the third time in some eleven minutes, he proved to be much faster than the Heerenveen defense. A Tieme Klompe tackle couldn't stop him from pushing the ball under goalkeeper Vonk and into the net: 6-2 (81), the first time Ajax has scored six this year.

His three successes made the task of the 'Man of the Match' jury a lot easier. They chose for Van der Gun. Before that, there was a handful of candidates for the title.

Wamberto, for example, who didn't only score the first goal, but was way too fast for his opponent Ronnie Venema and showed numerous beautiful solo moves on the left wing.

Or Tomás Galásek, who's becoming the mighty general on the Ajax midfield. Tim de Cler, who played his second consecutive faultless game in defense, would have been an option, too.

The contours of Co Adriaanse's future Ajax are becoming visible, and looking at their confident performances, his young players seem to be aware of that. On a chilly but sunny afternoon in early December, the crowd saw glimpses of the beautiful past, or maybe glimpses of an equally beautiful future.

The framework of the team needs to stay intact to guarantee success in the long run, but to Ajax fans the near future is the main thing for now: Feyenoord - Ajax is coming up. 'Feyenoord is next!', yelled the F-Side. It will not be easy, but the last test case could not have been better. (MP)

GOALS

  • 03' 1-0 Wamberto
  • 14' 1-1 Dennis de Nooijer
  • 19' 2-1 Nikos Machlas
  • 41' 3-1 Tomás Galásek
  • 63' 3-2 Anthony Lurling
  • 70' 4-2 Cedric van der Gun
  • 75' 5-2 Shota Arveladze
  • 81' 6-2 Cedric van der Gun
Referee: Jol
Bookings: Galásek (Ajax), Klompe, Venema (SC Heerenveen)
Attendance: 38,250
Line-up Ajax: Grim; Kanu, De Cler, Pasanen, Bergdølmo; Galásek, Van der Vaart; Van der Gun, Arveladze, Machlas, Wamberto (76. Winter).
Line-up SC Heerenveen: Vonk; Venema, Hansma, Klompe, Gérard de Nooijer (10. Tuhuteru); Holm, Nurmela, Jensen (73. Kolk); Talan, Dennis de Nooijer (82. Denneboom), Lurling.