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Match Report: Poor 1-1 draw for Ajax as competition stumbles

Today's game in Doetinchem looked (too) much like Thursday's one against FC Copenhagen. Again, Ajax hardly created any real scoring chances, despite continuous ball possession. Again, the compact and hard working defense of the opponent succeeded in disrupting the play of the Amsterdam team. Again, Ajax went 1-0 down late - and rather deserved it. The key difference: this time Ajax equalized and this time the disappointing result ironically made Ajax the winner of the weekend. Feyenoord, PSV and SC Heerenveen all suffered defeats.

Before the game, in which Ajax so desperately wanted to wash away the UEFA Cup frustration, Co Adriaanse faced a number of injuries, especially of defensive players: André Bergdølmo hurt his back on Saturday's training. Hatem Trabelsi and Abubakari Yakubu were already injured. Richard Knopper sustained a hip injury on Friday and the coach decided to leave Mido out of the squad, because he's having a hard time returning to form after his injury. "It's logical that he's having a relapse", Adriaanse defended the Egyptian. "Mido is returning from a serious injury."

Due to all those injuries, there were quite a few players on the Ajax bench whose names will probably embarrass the home side: Obodai, Quansah, Pienaar, Kras, Piqué, the Young Ajax clan of teenagers who humiliated De Graafschap in the Amstel Cup recently. Against Ajax-1, De Graafschap did significantly better.

With Johnny Heitinga and Maxwell in defense, and Nikos Machlas as a centre forward, Ajax played a first half which Adriaanse surprisingly described as "very good". The Ajax coach felt that his team should have scored a goal or two. It's a mystery which scoring chances he would have wanted to see converted, because there simply weren't any. Ajax was the clearly dominant side, but had trouble bending De Graafschap to its will. Van der Meyde and Galásek gave promising thru-passes that proved slightly too hard for Nikos Machlas, allowing goalkeeper Postma to intercept. A left-footed Van der Meyde shot was easily saved. And that was it.

The entire Doetinchem team seemed to play in defense. The Ajax defense had nothing to fear, except a short series of corner kicks, just before half-time, which forced Fred Grim to tip a header over the cross-bar. If Ajax would play faster and with more determination in the second half, this opponent was going to be easily beaten, so it seemed.

However, the misery continued in the second half, making for a game which was actually even more boring than Ajax vs FC Copenhagen. Ajax was extremely lucky when Michel Nok found himself in shooting position but miss-hit the ball, sending an errant shot trickling past Fred Grim. The Ajax goalkeeper turned around, saw the ball bounce back from the post and picked it up as if he had the situation perfectly under control.

Ajax should have taken it as a serious warning, but the blue and white Superboeren soon got their second chance. This time, it brought them the lead. A free-kick was poorly defended, knocked back into the goal area by Tim Bakens and blasted under the cross-bar with unstoppable force by Martijn Meerdink: 1-0 (76). This game really was a copy of the Copenhagen game! But before you could pronounce that sentence, the score was even again. Straight from kick-off, Nikos Machlas and Rafaël van der Vaart were involved in a scrimmage right in front of Postma. The ball ended on Wamberto's left foot, who slammed into the goal (77).

Ajax came close to scoring the winner in the remaining 13 minutes, but it would have been more than the Amsterdammers deserved. It's almost ridiculous that Ajax created a one point gap with Feyenoord with this appallingly poor game, and increased their lead on SC Heerenveen and PSV. Even Vitesse did not take advantage; they drew 1-1 as well. This weekend - yes, really - was good for Ajax.

Nevertheless, Ajax should be aware that, after a series of really good games (FC Groningen, NEC, Willem II), they have been struggling for two games in a row now. The team can well use the two weeks without a game that are ahead: to rest, to bring back injured players and to think about how to return to recent form. At least until the next game, on 18 November against NAC, Ajax is at the top of the table. Alone. (MP)

GOALS

• 76' 1-0 Martijn Meerdink
• 77' 1-1 Wamberto

Referee: Jol
Cards: none
Attendance: 11,000

Ajax line-up: Grim; Heitinga, Chivu, De Cler, Maxwell (50. Ikedia); Galásek, Van der Vaart, O'Brien; Van der Meyde, Machlas, Wamberto.

De Graafschap line-up: Postma; Bot, Berk Beelenkamp, Vreman, Fränkel; Nok, Meerdink (89. Promes), van Leerdam, Van den Brom (75. Bakens); Valeev, Schulp.

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• Discussion: Ajax current form