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Match Report: Linesman error brings Ajax precious 'double'

Mr. Ronald Kloeg has instantly become the most famous linesman in Dutch football, after his amazing error, three minutes into stoppage time of the Amstel Cup final. He did not notice that Wamberto pushed Ajax' unlikely equalizer into the net from an off-side position. It turned out to be the knock-out blow for FC Utrecht: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the 'golden goal' a few minutes later, bringing Ajax the 15th Dutch cup and the 7th 'double' in club history.

Ajax' hopes had already vanished, just before the final whistle. Utrecht won a corner kick and maintained ball-possession in self-assured style. However, just as the 11,000 Ajax fans gave up, the miracle occurred: a poorly defended ball was picked up by Andy van der Meyde, who released a hard and low cross. Everyone missed, except substitute Wamberto - off-side by a full yard at least - who only needed to put his foot against the ball to make the Ajax end of De Kuip explode: 2-2. The Utrecht team was too devastated to protest.

FC Utrecht was literally five seconds away from winning its second Dutch cup ever. Another three minutes later they were left empty-handed, after another substitute, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, had found the ball at his foot in a scrimmage in front of goalkeeper Harald Wapenaar. He did not hesitate and fired home with his left for the 'golden goal'. Zlatan's season started and ended with a tremendously important goal in De Kuip. The months in between were not as glorious, but all that was forgotten: "I've waited a year for this moment!", Zlatan yelled.

Even Ajax coach Ronald Koeman understood Utrecht's misery: "I am of course very happy to have won the cup, but this is dramatic for FC Utrecht. (...) It's truly amazing that this goal was not disallowed. It's extremely sad to lose a cup final this way. Of course, people make mistakes, but then again: what can I say about this one?"

Koeman was enough of a gentleman to not mention the fact that without Kloeg's black-out, FC Utrecht would have won the Amstel Cup thanks to a penalty that should not have been given. Fourteen minutes before the end, FC Utrecht striker Igor Gluscevic went to the grass in a duel with André Bergdølmo. A push, was referee Temmink's judgement; a completely normal duel for the ball, TV footage showed. Gluscevic himself converted: 2-1 (76), after having equalized for Utrecht twenty minutes before (56), from a similar situation which Zlatan was to take advantage of later.

At that point, Ajax did not deserve to be a goal down. The Amsterdammers, playing in next season's bright blue away jersey for the first time, should have scored more than once in the first half. Maxwell could have finished a superb run with a goal, whereas Mido failed to score from in open position, right in front of Wapenaar. The Egyptian had already notched his weekly goal at that point, from a beautiful, classic Ajax attack. Van der Meyde's thru-pass launched Hatem Trabelsi over the right flank. Mido slammed his head against the Tunisian's perfect cross: 0-1 (20).

Utrecht was close to the equalizer as Fred Grim had to push a Stefaan Tanghe wide via the outside of the post, but other than that, Ajax had no problems with the UEFA Cup participant at all. Gluscevic's equalizer came as a surprise, after which the only period followed in which Utrecht was really dominant. Even then, they needed a Temmink error to take the lead.

It was not the first time this season that the substitutes saved the game for Ajax by scoring crucial goals. Also, it is fair to say that the 2001-2002 season marks the re-birth of 'Lucky Ajax'. It is remarkable how often Ajax scored in the final minutes of games, how often Ajax won after being a goal down less than 20 minutes before the end. And if the team really couldn't score, the referee came to rescue, not only in the Amstel Cup final, but also in the final minutes of Ajax - Feyenoord, as Dick Jol rewarded a Nikos Machlas dive with a penalty.

Zlatan's strike did not only mark the euphoric end of the game and the season, but also the perfect end to the career of Fred Grim, who played his very last minutes as a professional goalkeeper. Grabbing the Dutch championship and the national cup in your last two games - that's not bad.

One of the players jumping up from the bench and chasing match-winner Zlatan across the pitch of De Kuip was Rafaël van der Vaart. He returned to the squad, three months after sustaining a knee injury on 10 February. Koeman did not seriously intend to use him, because he has only trained with the group a few times. As a reward for his hard work to recover, however, he was a member of the squad, so he could celebrate with the team.

It must be frustrating for the 19 year-old that the season is over, just now he's ready to play again. Van der Vaart's return to official action is now likely to be the game for the former Dutch Super Cup, now called the Johan Cruijff Shield. If a club wins the double, the rules say that the runner-up in the Eredivisie is the second finalist. Which means that the opponent, on 11 August in the Amsterdam ArenA, will be PSV.

But that's for later. First, it's time to watch a handful of (non-Dutch) Ajax players during the World Cup tournament in Japan and South Korea. This is the end of an extremely weird and tremendously exciting season of Dutch football, which somehow ended with both domestic trophies being added to the Ajax silverware cabinet. (MP)

GOALS

• 20' 0-1 Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam
• 56' 1-1 Igor Gluscevic
• 76' 2-1 Igor Gluscevic (penalty)
• 90' 2-2 Wamberto
• 93' 2-3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic ('golden goal')

Referee: Temmink
Yellow cards: De Jong, Gluscevic, Touzani, Vreven (FC Utrecht)
Attendance: 37,000

Ajax line-up: Grim; Trabelsi, Chivu, Bergdølmo, O'Brien (78. Zlatan); Van der Meyde, Galásek, Van Halst (73. Pienaar), Maxwell; Machlas (55. Wamberto), Mido.

FC Utrecht line-up: Wapenaar; Vreven, Roest (46. Touzani), Zwaanwijk, van Mol; Tanhge, Bosschaart, De Jong, Van den Bergh (46. Roiha); Jochemsen, Gluscevic (79. Schut).

Related links

• Discussion: Amstel Cup Games
• List of Ajax Honors
• News link: Dutch linesman apologises for Cup final blunder (Daily Soccer)
• Ajax.nl: Match Report (in Dutch, with pictures)