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Ajax show mercy with weak FC Twente ten

	Cedric van der Gun eludes FC Twente 'keeper van Ede, but is unable to score. [source: ANP]

"4-0 at half time... then you start calculating: two times four is eight", said Co Adriaanse after Ajax - FC Twente, a game in which Ajax could easily have booked the largest home victory in years. But the Amsterdam squad had mercy on their opponents, who saw their goalkeeper, Sander Boschker, getting sent off after only seven minutes. Loads of chances were created in the second half - only one of them was finished. 5-1 was the final result.

Ajax can be satisfied about the last few months. After having lost far too many points in the first weeks of the season, the team started winning away games again. Only two points were lost in the ArenA so far (0-0 against NEC). Ajax are fourth at the table, but the last two weeks before the winterbreak were promising, as the current number three, Vitesse, lost four points in their last three games.

The game against FC Twente was pretty much decided after six minutes, as goalkeeper Sander Boschker fouled Cedric van der Gun. Nikos Machlas was waiting to finish in front of the goal. There's only one punishment for fouling a player in an obvious scoring situation: the red card. Referee Wegereef didn't hesitate. Boschker's stand-in was the 37 year-old, former FC Utrecht veteran Jan-Willem van Ede. He survived the first scrimmage, but his performance in the remainder of the first half was unfortunate at the very least.

To his defense: the defense line in front of him was completely disorganized. Before FC Twente knew what was happening, they were in their dressing room at half time, 4-0 down. Ajax are definitely not Holland's tallest team and it was, for that reason, remarkable that three out of four first half goals were scored with the head by Ajax players standing as free as a bird for the finish. Van Ede had a black-out in the 15th minute, walking away from the goal line after a Wamberto corner. There was no defender in Nikos Machlas' back and no keeper in the Twente goal as the Greek nodded home (15).

It was - again - Wamberto who provided the outstanding right-footed assist for the second goal. Once more, FC Twente's defenders did not pay attention as Rafaël van der Vaart showed up at the far post (22). Like Machlas, Cristian Chivu celebrated his return in the team with a goal, scored from the penalty spot (29), given by Wegereef after a Twente defender made a handball, seemingly outside or just at the edge of the box. Just before the break, defender André Karnebeek demonstrated not to have learned his lesson from Machlas' first goal. The Greek was waiting, all alone right in front of the goal, to head home (45), his 9th goal in ten games - an excellent average.

Even the most brilliant tactical plan could not have brought Twente a point in the second half, but the visitors actually played a lot better. Defender Mentink was subbed in, which made the Twente defense more solid. It was, however, pure luck that Ajax didn't score more goals than Tomás Galásek's dry strike from a superb Machlas assist (58). Machlas himself hit the post, and goalkeeper Van Ede kept acting nervously at every high Ajax cross. Former Ajax defender Mitchell Piqué did fine against Andy van der Meyde and okay against Cedric van der Gun, but was unable to stop Pius Ikedia, the third returning player Ajax had to miss against Feyenoord. A number of his runs were excellent; his crosses much less so.

FC Twente had surrendered far before half time. Oranje striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's header goal (72), scored from Twente's only chance in the entire game, did not bring them new hope. Ajax kept creating as many chances as they wanted, but the determination seemed to have vanished. The level of the game dropped; the last twenty minutes were a boring final chapter to a - for the large part - good Ajax performance. Co Adriaanse was, over all, satisfied: "The boys have shown numerous beautiful football moments."

The progression Adriaanse's team has made in the first half of the season, is obvious. Wednesday's friendly against Panathinaikos from Greece is yet to be played, but the winter break has already started in the minds of the Ajax players. They're not consistent enough yet, but they know there's something growing. The third spot is within reach. (MP)

GOALS

• 15'  1-0  Nikos Machlas
• 22'  2-0  Rafaël van der Vaart
• 29'  3-0  Cristian Chivu (penalty)
• 45'  4-0  Nikos Machlas
• 58'  5-0  Tomás Galásek
• 72'  5-1  Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink

Referee: Wegereef
Yellow cards: De Cler (Ajax), Piqué (FC Twente)
Red card: Boschker (FC Twente, 07')
Attendance: 36,123

Ajax line-up: Grim; Bergdølmo (69. Hersi), Chivu, Pasanen, De Cler; Van der Gun, Galásek, Van der Vaart; Van der Meyde (69. Ikedia), Machlas, Wamberto.

FC Twente line-up: Boschker; Hulshoff, Rahim, Karnebeek (46. Mentink), Piqué; Van der Laan, Van der Paar, Van der Leegte; Cairo (67. Heubach), Vennegoor of Hesselink, Pahlplatz (08. Van Ede).