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Match Report: Champions League: Ajax stun Lyon with 0-2 triumph!

30 October: Ajax have stunned their French hosts, and perhaps themselves, by snatching an improbable 0-2 victory at Lyon. Goals came in the 7th minute from Steven Pienaar and the 93rd minute by Rafael van der Vaart, who made his return to Ajax 1 football by replacing Mido early in the second half. Victory came at a heavy price: in addition to six yellow cards for Ajax, captain Cristian Chivu received his second red card in as many matches. He will now miss the decisive game against Inter on 12 November in Amsterdam.

Strangely enough, this miraculous victory may be less important than it seems. If Lyon wins their last match, against the already eliminated Rosenborg, Ajax will still have to win their final match against Inter Milan to advance. And this would have still been the case if Ajax had merely drawn yesterday, or even if they had lost (although in that case they would have to beat Inter by two goals).

This odd situation was the result of the two draws Ajax earned against the weakest opponent of the group, Rosenborg. If Ajax had won last week's match against the Norwegians, they would now already have been guaranteed a place in the next round. Rosenborg's late equalizer feels a bit more painful now.

A heroic victory it was, but definitely not an easy one. Ajax started very well and dominated the first fifteen minutes of the game, in which Pienaar scored an early opener after just seven minutes. A great start of course, but also the starting signal for Lyon's assault upon the Ajax defense. If Ajax hadn't scored so quickly, Lyon probably wouldn't have played so offensive after just fifteen minutes.

What followed was a 75-minute thriller on Ajax's half of the field. Aided by Zlatan and Mido's inability to maintain any possession up front, Lyon was able to build up attack after attack, although rarely did the hosts create real danger. Their best chance of the first half fell to Sonny Anderson, whose header was barely saved by Chivu. According to the French crowd, the Romanian did this after the ball had already crossed the goal line, but the Greek referee Vassaras thought differently. No goal.

A narrow escape for Ajax, and not the last one. First Edmilson and later Dhorasoo and Carrière had good chances to equalize, but Ajax goalie Joey Didulica played an excellent match and saved Ajax's evening. The Australian didn't betray the confidence Koeman placed in him by lining him up instead of Henk Timmer.

The last thirty minutes of the game were very tough for Ajax, and it seemed just a matter of time for the equalizer to be scored. But Ajax fought like giants and repelled the almost constant French offensive. The price was high, with six yellow cards and another red one for captain Cristian Chivu, his second in one week. He will now miss the decisive match against Inter in Amsterdam.

But yesterday also heralded the return of Rafael van der Vaart. The 20-year old returned to Ajax 1 action in the second half, after a lengthly absence due to a knee injury. He played only twenty minutes, but nevertheless reminded fans of his importance, scoring the decisive 0-2 in stoppage time. Ajax surely will need him to secure qualification for the next round. (BV)

GOALS

• 07' 0-1 Steven Pienaar
• 92' 0-2 Rafael van der Vaart

Referee: Vassaras (Greece)
Yellow cards: De Jong, Sikora, Pienaar, Zlatan, Van der Vaart, Didulica (Ajax), Juninho (Olympique Lyonnais)
Red card: Chivu (Ajax, 62')
Attendance: 38,134

Ajax line-up: Didulica, Bergdølmo, Chivu, De Jong, Trabelsi, Galásek, Maxwell, Pienaar, Mido (56. Van der Vaart), Sikora (65. Yakubu), Zlatan (76. Van der Meyde)

Olympique Lyonnais line-up: Coupet, Bréchet, Caçapa, Edmilson, Müller, Carrière (79. Luyindula), Dhorasoo, Juninho, Violeau (59. Vairelles), Anderson, Govou

Other Group D result: Internazionale FC v Rosenborg BK 3-0

Related Links:

• Discussion: European Games
• Supershota: Goals (AVI video)
• Ajax.nl: Match Report (in Dutch)