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Match Report: "Thank you, Rosenborg!" - Ajax advance despite home defeat

Paradoxically, almost 50% of the most anticipated Ajax game in many years turned out to be totally irrelevant. After the amazing Hernán Crespo had struck twice to secure a win for Internazionale, it was clear that Group D of the Champions League first round was not going to be decided in Amsterdam, but in the sharp frost of Trondheim, Norway, where the already eliminated Rosenborg BK took on Olympique Lyon. Ajax' saviour was 'RBK' striker Harald Brattbakk, whose goal kept the French champions down to a fatal 1-1 draw. As a result, Ajax will be in Friday's draw for the second group stage.

The Ajax players visibly found it slightly embarrasing to celebrate a defeat. The crowd at the sold-out Amsterdam ArenA, however, had no problems cheering over the unlikely apotheosis in Group D, in which Ajax lost four points against the weakest team (Rosenborg), but grabbed the full six against the team that was by far the best side in the group (Olympique Lyon).

The group winner, Internazionale, was definitely not the best team in Group D. They finished tops because they acknowledged the unwritten laws of top football better than any of its opponents. They dug in, like Italians do, waiting for the opposition to come out into the open. Inter knows the unofficial rules of football, smartly fouling and stealing seconds, destructively defending if necessary and patiently waiting for the chances. Knowledge of these unwritten laws is what Ajax lacks, especially when playing without the team captain (Cris Chivu; suspended), the experienced 'number ten' (Jari Litmanen; injured) as well as the man responsible for three out of Ajax' five Champions League goals (Zlatan; ill). Half of Ajax' defense (Nigel de Jong and Jelle Van Damme) was under twenty - and so were both forwards (Mido and Rafaël van der Vaart).

Ajax' lack of slyness resulted in a defeat that was very similar to the one in Milan, on 25 September. From a typical Dutch point of view, you'd say that Ajax was the clearly better side and that Crespo's brace of header goals was undeserved and turned the game upside down. This, however, would be naive. It's more realistic to say that Inter survived the first fifty minutes without too much trouble, before knocking Ajax out by two fluent, fast counter-attacks of almost frightening perfection. After that, the job was done and the gates hermetically locked again. All Ajax produced was a good dozen of shots from outside the penalty box. They went wide or over the cross-bar; they got blocked by a defender or were an easy prey for Inter's faultless goalkeeper, Toldo.

In fact, after Crespo's goals, 0-3 seemed closer than 1-2. Christian Vieri should have easily finished, face-to-face with Joey Didulica. And there was a thundering long range shot from Di Biagio, which miraculously stayed out of the Ajax goal via the cross-bar and Joey Didulica's back. Ajax was hardly ever as dangerous as that, throughout the game.

It would be unfair, however, to conclude that Ajax naively walked into Inter's pitfall and that the smart Italians were always in the driver's seat. On two occasions, Ajax was blatantly robbed by the erratic referee, Mr Urs Meier from Switzerland and one of his linesmen, Mr Züger.

In Milan, Ajax learned the hard way that possession, pressure and dangerous moments are irrelevant against Italians. It's all about creating that one real scoring chance and - of course - about being effective and converting it. There was a bitter taste to this home defeat because of the simple fact that that's exactly what Ajax did against Inter. The team actually did everything right in the first half. The Amsterdammers outplayed Inter, created their 100% scoring chance (a Van der Meyde cross was headed against the post by Mido) and converted it into a 24 carat goal (Van der Vaart, pushing the rebouncing ball against the nets). What's naive and inexperienced about that, you'd say, but injustice struck. Mr Züger was waving his flag at the sideline. For no reason, TV footage showed, as Van der Vaart was perfectly on-side. This happened in the 8th minute of the game. It's a fair assumption that an opening goal for Ajax would have drastically affected the developments from that point.

A second moment of injustice followed after the break, as Ajax was two goals down and fighting to get back into the game. An Ajax shot was clearly punched down with the hand by Inter's substitute Recoba. Everyone saw it, except Mr Meier, in what was his first game in six months' time. No penalty for Ajax. As Rafaël van der Vaart's finally pulled a goal back in stoppage time (deflected shot from the edge of the penalty box) both Inter and Ajax were already sure to advance, as the final whistle had already resounded in the freezing cold air of Trondheim.

Was Ajax just lucky - or did the team deserve to advance? A quick analysis of all Group D games will convice you of the latter. Admittedly, Ajax was lucky to leave Lyon with three points and Rosenborg's assistance was required when the finish line came in sight, but the team had surely deserved a couple of points in the Inter games and did not have luck on its side as Rosenborg stole a point from the ArenA. In the end, Ajax has the same number of points as Olympique Lyon (eight) and advances because the French were beaten twice. All in all it's not as lucky, or even tight as it seems.

The qualification for the second round is good for a UEFA cheque of 3.5 million U.S. dollars. Millions more are guaranteed (TV rights!). Given the fact that only one Dutch club made it to the second group stage since the Champions League was given its current structure (Feyenoord in 1999), this is a major achievement by a team of approximately 22.5 years old on average. Six more Champions League ties against Europe's finest are guaranteed. Ajax is one of Europe's sixteen best. (MP)

GOALS

• 50' 0-1 Hernán Crespo
• 52' 0-2 Hernán Crespo
• 90' 1-2 Rafaël van der Vaart

Referee: Meier (Switzerland)
Yellow cards: Mido (Ajax), Materazzi, Coco, Vieri, Toldo, Almeyda (Inter)
Attendance: 50,272

Ajax line-up: Didulica; Trabelsi, De Jong, Bergdolmo, Van Damme (58. Witschge); Van der Meyde, Galásek (71. Yakubu), Pienaar (58. Wamberto), Maxwell; Mido, Van der Vaart.

Internazionale FC line-up: Toldo; Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi, Coco; Conceicao (71. Adani), Morfeo (90. Emre), Di Biagio, Almeyda; Crespo (64. Recoba), Vieri.

Group D Result: Rosenborg BK - Olympique Lyonnais 1-1

Group D Final Table:

• Internazionale FC 6-11 (12-8)
• AFC Ajax 6-8 (6-5)
• Olympique Lyonnais 6-8 (12-9)
• Rosenborg BK 6-4 (4-12)

Related Links:

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