Ajax saved by Sneijder free-kick at Grazer AK: 1-1
1 (0) - 1 (0)
Champions League Qualifier
Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium, Graz,
Austria
Tuesday, 12 August, 2003
"Piece of cake", was Rafaël van der Vaart's answer to a
reporter who asked him for a brief comment on Ajax's Champions
League qualifier at Grazer AK. He said it with an eye-wink,
you'd think, but Ajax played as if they really expected 'GAK'
to be a piece of cake. The wayward Amsterdammers escaped from
Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium with a very lucky 1-1 draw. The
Austrians deserved much more in a game which Ajax would have
lost if it wasn't for a brilliant Wesley Sneijder free-kick in
the 79th minute.
Zlatan Ibrahimoviç is
upended by Grazer AK defender. [Photo: Louis van de
Vuurst/Ajax.nl]
"I'm satisfied with the result, but not with our play", said
Ronald Koeman after the game with a great sense of
understatement. Only three players on his team played a good
game: goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, goalscorer Wesley
Sneijder and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who had an aggressive and
determined half-hour as a substitute. Three others (newcomers
Grygera, Escudé and Sonck) can not yet be blamed for
their inability to take their team by the hand. The rest should
feel ashamed of themselves. Key players such as Van der Vaart,
Pienaar, Trabelsi and Maxwell in particular had a complete
non-performance.
The intentions of the Austrian underdog were crystal clear
from the start. Having played five league games already they
were fitter and more aggressive than the Ajacieden. They were
well organized, determined and they ruled in the air. Ajax
played wearily and was totally unable to let the ball circulate
at 'Ajax pace'. The first fifteen minutes were a serious
warning. Several high crosses dangerously grazed the foreheads
of totally unmarked GAK players. A Milinkovic header went
inches wide. Young striker Naumoski stole stole the ball of a
dreaming Hatem Trabelsi's foot and saw his curving shot hit the
post.
It must be said that Ajax - in spite of its poor play -
missed two huge chances as well in this phase. On both
occasions Wesley Sonck gave the fine, low cross, first
providing Wamberto with an 'unmissable' chance (which he
missed), then trying to reach Rafaël van der Vaart, who
saw a defender clear off the goal-line a split-second before he
could slide the ball home.
Good chances, indeed, but the hosts had the game in hand.
Given the fact that Ajax lost almost every physical air duel it
was a matter of time for GAK to score that way. It happened ten
minutes into the second half, as defender Emanuel Pogatetz was
totally unmarked on a Dollinger free-kick - and only had to nod
to set Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium on fire: 1-0 (56').
Rafael van der Vaart protests to
the referee. [Photo: ANP]
What to do? No-one on the Ajax bench really seemed to know.
Almost every Ajax player deserved to be replaced. Pienaar and
Sonck were the unlucky ones, but only one of their replacements
managed to bring something extra: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who made
some wrong decisions in his actions, but did bring the
aggression Ajax was lacking. The Swede chose the shortest way
to goal whenever he received the ball and came close to scoring
with a low shot toward the corner and a merciless volley on
goalkeeper Schranz's fists. It is typical, however, that Ajax
never came as close to scoring as two minutes before Pogatetz's
goal: in an attempt to clear he headed an Ajax cross against
the post of his own goal.
As the minutes of weak, weary Ajax football ticked away it
seemed like Ajax was going to have to accept a 1-0 defeat - and
the challenge to score twice in the Amsterdam ArenA on the
27th. But the reality of modern football can be cruel, and in
this case it was to Grazer AK. Wesley Sneijder, the only
Ajacied to have shown initiative throughout the game,
brilliantly curled a free-kick from the corner of the penalty
box into the upper ninety. The stunning, 24-carate free-kick
came totally out of nowhere and instantly changed everything
for GAK: instead of having the opportunity to comfortably lean
back, the Austrians will now have to score at least once in the
ArenA. What a setback for them, after literally Ajax's only
moment of brilliance in 90 minutes' time, quite typically from
a free-kick.
Wesley Sneijder was Ajax's
savoiur. [Photo: Louis van de Vuurst/Ajax.nl]
Rafaël van der Vaart - man of the pre-game "piece of
cake" remark - had changed his tone of voice as
he was interviewed on the pitch after the game: "This was not
good. Very poor indeed. We just didn't have our day." Football
players will never admit it, but the reason why Ajax got in
trouble against this hard working, but technically mediocre
Austrian team was plain simple: pure underestimation. The team
was 'rewarded' for it with a result that wasn't too bad after
all. (MP)
GOALS
- 56' 1-0 Emanuel Pogatetz
- 79' 1-1 Wesley Sneijder
Referee: De Santis (Italy)
Yellow cards: Maxwell (Ajax), Ramusch (Grazer
AK)
Attendance: 15,000
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Trabelsi,
Escudé, Grygera, Maxwell; Yakubu, Van der Vaart,
Sneijder (88. Van Damme); Pienaar (70. Sikora), Sonck (64.
Ibrahimovic), Wamberto.
Grazer AK line-up: Schranz; Pötscher,
Ehmann, Tokic, Pogatetz; Ramusch, Milinkovic (60. Kulovits),
Aufhauser, Dollinger (70. Amerhauser); Kollmann, Naumoski (88.
Goossens).
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