0505.html
Match Report: Win over NEC brings Ajax 28th Dutch
championship
 |
 |
 |
| 0 (0) |
|
2 (2) |
KPN Eredivisie
De Goffert Stadium, Nijmegen
Sunday, 05 May, 2002 |
|
The period from 1998 to 2001 will be remembered as a dark
era for Ajax, in which three coaches were fired. Now, the dark
years are over. For the first time since 1998, Ajax has claimed
the Dutch championship by beating NEC (0-2) in the last and
decisive league game of the season.
Ajax celebrate Dutch Eredivisie
championship. [Photo:
BBC Sport]
It brought back memories of 1990. Back then too, Ajax was a
dark horse for the title, which was last won five years earlier
in 1985. Mainly due to PSV's constant failure, the young Ajax
side won the title no-one expected them to win. The decisive
last game, in which Ajax required (and grabbed) one point, was
an away game at NEC in Nijmegen.
The similarities are striking, but the last game was not
nearly as nerve-wrecking. Back in 1990, Ajax went a goal down,
as PSV was winning. Wim Jonk's equalizer was enough to win the
title by one point. On 05 May 2002 (Liberation Day,
appropriately), Ajax cherished a comfortable 0-2 lead at
half-time, as PSV was two goals down at De Graafschap. 583
travelling Ajax fans, as well as tens of thousands watching TV,
knew by then that it was a done deal.
There were four goals to celebrate in the first half. As NEC
and Ajax were still trying to figure out where the puddles were
on the soaking wet pitch, the radio announcement that Meerdink
had put De Graafschap in the lead set the Ajax section on fire.
Fifteen minutes later, Ajax was shown the way (once again) by
Mido. Andy van der Meyde curled a free kick into the box, which
was slightly flicked on by Chivu and pushed across the line by
the Egyptian: 0-1 (25).
Mido bundles in the game -- and
title -- winner, on a set-piece cross. [Photo:
Ajax.nl]
Ajax was in perfect control of the game. NEC's finest moment
came when André Bergdølmo tried to clear, but saw
the ball bounce back dangerously off Patrick Ax' foot. Fred
Grim saved with a gracious dive, in the last Eredivisie game of
his career. A few minutes later, it was all wrapped up. Mido
superbly tricked two defenders and sent a perfect cross-pass to
Andy van der Meyde, who surprised goalkeeper Gentenaar with a
low shot into the near corner: 0-2 (45). In Doetinchem,
Meerdink had struck again.
| |
28
Championships
1918,
1919, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1957, 1960,
1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1980,
1982, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998,
2002
[Full list of honors]
|
Good football was almost impossible on the swampy pitch, but
Ajax created numerous chances in the second half, mainly
because NEC had nothing left to fight for anymore.
Mido was close to scoring his second from a diving header,
which went inches over the cross-bar. Andy van der Meyde almost
took full advantage of an erratic back-pass by Wegh. A
beautiful litte thru-pass by substitute Pius Ikedia gave
Machlas a free passage, bu his attempt went inches wide.
Chances, chances, chances - but for once it was not a problem
that they were missed.
Subs and coaches were already standing in front of the
dug-out, arms around each other's shoulders, waiting for
referee Bossen's final whistle. As the Ajax fans were counting
down the final ten seconds, Bossen whistled exactly at
'zero'.
The scenes on the pitch, in front of the extatic Ajax
section, were unforgettable. Jan van Halst, John O'Brien,
Cristian Chivu, Joey Didulica... they all rushed back to the
fans once again, to show them the championship shield, which
was handed over to captain Cristian Chivu by a KNVB
official.
At the start of the season, not a single Dutch sports
journalist expected Ajax to play a role of any significance:
PSV and Feyenoord were the only title candidates. But after
having beaten Feyenoord in De Kuip as early as in the second
game, Ajax has been at the top of the table for 28 out of the
remaining 32 playing rounds.
Feyenoord only managed to take over the lead for while
during the disastrous month of November 2001, the month of the
UEFA Cup disaster against FC Copenhagen, the 5-1 defeat at SC
Heerenveen and home defeats against PSV and NAC. It cost coach
Co Adriaanse his job. He was fired after having brought Ajax
back to the top af the table, by a spectacular 3-2 victory over
FC Twente.
It was Adriaanse who brought Rafaël van der Vaart into
the team, who was patient with Andy van der Meyde and allowed
him to develop. It was Adriaanse who signed Mido and started
the process of working with youngsters again. The longest
string of league victories (7) was achieved by Adriaanse. On
the other hand, it was Ronald Koeman who brought back the good
atmosphere, who discovered that Mido is actually a central
forward and that John O'Brien is a superb left back.
Under Adriaanse, Ajax grabbed 29 points out of 14 games
(average: 2.07 points per game). Koeman added 44 points out of
20 games (2.20 points per game). Ajax was made champion by two
head coaches - not just one.
Ajax was number one throughout the second season half,
surviving attacks by Feyenoord and PSV and finishing off with a
series of five league wins in a row. Including the Amstel Cup
victory over PSV, Ajax has not conceded a single goal in the
last five games, while Feyenoord stumbled at De Graafschap
(1-0) and PSV lost points at relegation candidates FC Twente
(1-1) and De Graafschap (2-2).
The youngest team has been the most consistent,
surprisingly, and as a result Ajax finishes five points ahead
of PSV and nine ahead of Feyenoord. Not such a surprising
champions, after all, in the most spectacular season of
Eredivisie football in recent history. (MP)
GOALS
- 25' 0-1 Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam
- 45' 0-2 Andy van der Meyde
Referee: Bossen
Cards: none
Attendance: 11,000
Ajax line-up: Grim; Trabelsi, Chivu,
Bergdølmo, O'Brien; Van der Meyde (76. Ikedia),
Galásek, Van Halst, Maxwell (86. Yakubu); Machlas, Mido
(68. Wamberto).
NEC line-up: Gentenaar; Wielaert, Hesp, Wegh,
Leiwakabessy (84. Hristov); Ax, Schuurman, Latuheru, Van
Rijswijk (79. Simr); Demouge, De Nooijer (75. Tumba).
Ajax Dutch
champions 2002
Related Links:
