Ajax outclass Feyenoord but squander two points
1 (0) - 1
(0)
Holland Casino Eredivisie
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Sunday, 11 April, 2004
A Classic? Maybe not. But certainly an interesting fight.
Ajax played the better football, but Feyenoord wanted it, or at
least needed it, just a bit more. It was hardly surprising when
Ajax grabbed the lead midway through the second half on a
Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal. But in the end, fighting spirit
outlasted Ajax swagger. Dirk Kuyt's goal in the final minute,
which came from Feyenoord's first real chance of the match,
gave the hosts a much-needed boost to their injured pride.
Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman's Ajax were left to rue their
inability to kill off their rival when they had several chances
to do so.
Rafael van der Vaart tangles with
Feyenoord's Ghaly. [Photo: ANP]
The game opened with the lively, energetic and slightly
aggressive football one expects from the Classic. It was
exciting back-and-forth stuff from the outset, but the game's
first real chance didn't come until the 20th minute, when a
Wesley Sneijder free-kick was flicked on by Ibrahimovic but
straight to Feyenoord goalkeeper Zoetebier. It was the
beginning of a torrid ten minutes from Ajax, when Rafaël
van der Vaart twice brought out the best from the Rotterdam
keeper. His best chance was an unmarked header opportunity from
close range, which was punched wide by Zoetebier in stunning
style. In all, Ajax created but failed to capitalize on some
half-dozen legitimate scoring chances in the first half, while
Feyenoord had none.
Tenacious defending combined with lackluster finishing
kept Ajax off the scoresheet. Meanwhile, the Ajax back
line of Heitinga, Escudé, Maxwell and De Jong played
well but hardly needed to. As the half drew toward a
close, the chippiness increased as Patrick Paauwe landed an
elbow in Ibrahimovic's face. The Swede half-retaliated, drawing
just a warning for both players from referee Dick Jol. It was
foreshadowing for a much more confrontational second half.
At the break, Ajax must have felt confident that the goals
would come. Ironically, it was Feyenoord who seemed more
determined to break the deadlock at the outset of the
second half. A perfectly weighted long ball from the otherwise
invisible Shinji Ono set Thomas Buffel on his way to goal,
leaving a slow-footed Tomas Galasek in his dust. However,
Feyenoord's top scorer could only find the side-netting of
Bogdan Lobont's goal.
Johnny Heitinga cuts out Dirk
Kuyt. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Maybe it served as a wake-up call for Ajax, because the
Amsterdammers responded to that scare by stepping up their game
once again. After a sustained series of promising moments, Ajax
won a direct-kick just outside the penalty area. Mysteriously,
referee Jol set the ball five yards behind the spot of the
foul. Wesley Sneijder seemed untroubled by the extra distance,
as his swerving free kick beat the wall and Zoetebier but not
the near post.
Ajax fans didn't have to wait much longer for satisfaction.
In the 67th minute, the visitors strung together a crisp series
of passes, beginning in the back with Maxwell and carried
forward by substitute Nicolae Mitea, who then sent a perfect
sideline-hugging pass to Van der Vaart. The Ajax captain
shrugged off a rough challenge by Ghaly, swept into the
Feyenoord penalty area and slid a quick ball across to
Ibrahimovic. It wasn't pretty, but the big Swede bundled the
ball into goal. The Ajax lead seemed inevitable and
natural.
If Feyenoord were unable to play their way back into the
game, they would fight their way back in. Dirk Kuyt fired
up the crowd and both teams by chopping down Van der Vaart
like so much wood. And then a too-familiar sight ensued:
Rafaël van der Vaart trying to finish a fight in De Kuip.
This time, he wasn't sent off, but just sent sprawling on
his backside when Kuyt faced him up. Modest handbags ensued,
but Dick Jol merely booked Kuyt and Van der Vaart and that was
that. In the melee, it was hardly noticed that Robin van Persie
had been subbed into the game. He would make his presence known
before the game was finished.
While Ajax made some shoring-up substitutions (Yakubu for
Sneijder and Anastasiou for Zlatan), Feyenoord begin throwing
caution to the wind, bringing on attacking players for
defenders, including Lazovic for Van den Berg in the 81st
minute. Lazovic's first touch almost hit pay-dirt, but his
stinging shot was stopped capably by Lobont.
The extra attackers also meant exposure at the back. Mitea
repeatedly found acres of space along the left flank, but Ajax
lacked the will at this point to put the game away. Anastasiou
wasted a golden chance, turning a 1-on-1 with the keeper into a
tentative game of keep-ball.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord kept pressing their case. And in the
final minute, they got their reward, justly or otherwise. The
very useful Lazovic started the move that cost Ajax two points.
The decisive factor was a painful error by the
otherwise flawless Johnny Heitinga, who chose
for a 'stylish' solution rather than whacking
the ball into the stands. He saw Lazovic tap the
ball off his boot to Van Persie, who immediately
released a pinpoint cross that allowed Dirk Kuyt to level
the game. The former FC Utrecht striker finished perfectly,
glueing Lobont to the ground with an off-foot
volley. The difference in quality had
been painfully big throughout the Classic, but
Feyenoord ended up restoring its faith and pride. The
hosts even came close to totally turning the game upside
down as an Ebi Smolarek header flew inches wide in
stoppage time. The Ajacieden were left shaking their heads
over their inability to finish off a far inferior
Feyenoord team.
While Heitinga seemed devastated after Jol's final whistle,
Ronald Koeman protected his young defender in his post-game
analysis: "Of course, he should have simply kicked it away.
That was today's 'learning moment' for him. This will never
happen to him again. He's young."
Heitinga himself added: "I am so sorry that this
happened. For myself, but particularly for the supporters. I am
fully aware of the enormous rivalry between Ajax and
Feyenoord. (...) I know what I have to do next time. It's all
part of my learning process. That's what the coach said, too.
He said: 'Thank God you still make mistakes. Otherwise there
was nothing left for me to teach you'."
In spite of the fact that PSV beat FC Groningen 5-0, the
situation for Ajax hardly changed: if Ajax and PSV both win
their home games next weekend (at home against RBC Roosendaal
and NEC, respectively) Ajax can still clinch the Eredivisie
championship the week after, on 25 April in the away fixture at
NEC. (JM)
GOALS
- 69' 1-0 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- 90' 1-1 Dirk Kuyt
Referee: Jol
Yellow cards: Pienaar, Van der Vaart
(Ajax); Kuyt (Feyenoord)
Attendance: 43,000
Ajax line-up: Lobont; De Jong, Heitinga,
Escudé, Maxwell; Pienaar, Galásek, Sneijder (76.
Yakubu); Ibrahimovic (80. Anastasiou), Van der Vaart,
Sikora (65. Mitea).
Feyenoord line-up: Zoetebier; Gyan (82.
Swerts), Van den Berg (80. Lazovic), Paauwe, Mtiliga; Smolarek,
Ghaly, Ono, Lurling (72. Van Persie); Buffel, Kuyt.
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