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Match Report: Zlatan scores four in first pre-season friendly

(VV Owios)
0 (0)		13 (6)
Sports Park Bovemolen, Oldebroek Sunday, 07 July 2001


	Newcomers Maxwell, Zlatan and Mido with Coach Adriaanse. [source: ANP]

The ball's rolling again. Ajax played its first pre-season friendly today, against First Class amateur side VV Owios from Oldebroek. Ajax scored 13 goals in a satisfying first warm-up game. New Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was Ajax' top scorer of the day, with his first four goals for the Amsterdammers.

Coach Co Adriaanse had a squad of 22 players to his availability, and decided to line-up the team that beat AZ in last season's final home game. Only Cris Chivu was not playing back then. He played as a left midfielder, in default of both Witschge (injured) and Van der Vaart (two weeks of extra vacation after playing at the U21 World Cup in Argentina).

Adriaanse replaced the entire team for the second half. Nevertheless, not all players played the full 45 minutes. Cristian Chivu and Nikos Machlas were substituted within 30 minutes, due to minor injuries. Mitchell Piqué and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were brought on and played the rest of the first half, as well as the full second.

Zlatan's debut was welcomed with loud applause from the crowd. It took the Swede only nine minutes to score his first goal, beautifully slipping through Owios' defense and firing home with his left. Zlatan's first goal was Ajax' fifth, already. Machlas (after only 45 seconds), Chivu, Ikedia and De Cler had given Ajax a 0-4 lead in the first eleven minutes of the game.

Egyptian newcomer, Mido, managed to score his first goal for Ajax as well, shooting Ajax' seventh into the net (63). After that, Daniël Cruz added three goals. Ajax ended up scoring six goals in the first half and seven in the second. There were no big scoring chances for the Oldebroek amateurs. (MP)

(Source: Ajax.nl)

GOALS

01' 0-1 Nikos Machlas
06' 0-2 Cristian Chivu (penalty)
10' 0-3 Pius Ikedia
11' 0-4 Tim de Cler
34' 0-5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
42' 0-6 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
63' 0-7 Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam
66' 0-8 Daniël Cruz
67' 0-9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
74' 0-10 Daniël Cruz
75' 0-11 Andy van der Meyde
78' 0-12 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
83' 0-13 Daniël Cruz

Line-up Ajax 1st half: Grim; O'Brien, Pasanen, Yakubu, De Cler; Galásek, Van der Gun, Chivu (20. Piqué); Ikedia, Machlas (25. Ibrahimovic), Wamberto.
Line-up Ajax 2nd half: Lobont; Vierklau, Bergdølmo, Piqué, Maxwell; Winter, Knopper, Cruz; Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic, Mido.