Championship in sight! Ajax beat Roda, PSV stumble
4 (3) - 2
(1)
Holland Casino Eredivisie
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Sunday, 14 March, 2004
It's been a while since the Ajax supporters went home with
such big smiles on their faces. 14 March 2004 was a
perfect day for the Amsterdammers. The pubs around the
Amsterdam ArenA were packed at 12:30 for the live broadcast of
PSV vs Feyenoord. The Rotterdammers helped their 'friends' from
the capital by winning in Eindhoven: 0-1. What followed at
14:30 was the best and by far most enjoyable Ajax
performance in weeks, against Roda JC, the league's #6
before the game. Ajax's 4-2 win put the team nine points clear
of PSV on the league table, with nine more games to go.
"This should be enough", said Ronald Koeman after the game.
The partying did not start immediately, though: the game was
preceded by one minute of respectful silence for the
victims of last week's horrific Madrid bombings,
after which Ajax seemed to continue their struggling of recent
weeks. The opening phase wasn't exactly promising, as if the
Ajacieden were unaware of their major oppurtunity to almost
certainly decide the Eredivisie.
But Ajax started improving around the 15 minute
mark and created its first major chance in the 20th minute, as
Yannis Anastasiou and Rafaël van der Vaart got involved in
a scrimmage right in front of goalkeeper Kujovic, who
miraculously saved on Van der Vaart's close range header, after
the ball had also kissed the post. Six minuted later, however,
the ball hit the nets behind Kujovic after all, as Wesley
Sonck smartly nodded a high cross back to Van der
Vaart. The latter's attempt was saved by
Kujovic, but Nicolae Mitea was there for the rebound. It was
the first Ajax goal actually scored by an Ajax player
since 12 February...
In the following seven minutes or so Mitea alone
brought more entertainment than the whole
team together in the past three weeks. The speedy young
Romanian rushed past his defenders on two more occasions, but
his shots hit the cross-bar and Kujovic's fists, respectively.
These moments seemed to inspire Ajax. The crowd, in its turn,
sensed that the team's self-awareness and swagger was
returning. This was best underscored in the 37th minute, as a
truly superb backward flick by Rafaël van der Vaart put
Yannis Anastasiou face to face with the goalkeeper that
used to be his team-mate. The Greek remained calm:
2-0.
Yannis Anastasiou scores his
first ever goal against
Roda JC, his former team. [Photo: Gerard van Hees /
Ajax.nl]
In the remainder of the first half Ajax showed some of its
best football since the winter-break, but unexpectedly saw the
yellow and black guests get back into the game. The man to
blame was Bogdan Lobont, who returned from injury for his
first Eredivisie appearance of 2004 and had a shaky
performance. After having misjudged a high cross in the
17th minute, he had a similar error in the 44th. This time
Iwan Redan (the man signed by Roda to replace
Anastasiou...) took full advantage and tapped
home with this knee. However, Anastasiou had the
appropriate answer within sixty seconds, nodding home in a
gracious and spectacular pirouette: 3-1 at half-time. When was
the last time a first half in the ArenA was so thoroughly
enjoyable...?
Of course it takes two teams to have an attractive game
and it must be said that Roda was an attractive opponent on the
day. The Limburg side recently beat PSV in Eindhoven and
was, of course, well aware of Ajax's recent poor form. They
seemed aware of their chances and were willing to play
football. Ajax, however, were sovereign on the day, except for
one man: Bogdan Lobont. Almost immediately after the
break he gave a helping hand once
again, by let a high cross slip through his
fingers. Roda veteran Marc Luypers hammered the loose
ball home: 3-2 (46').
Ajax's second half was very similar to the first: 15
minutes of poor play, 15 minutes of better play and 15 minutes
of very good play. This time, however, the crowd did not
care too much about the poor start, as there were two prodigal
sons to applaud: Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Steven Pienaar started
their warming up early in the second half. Ibrahimovic was
out since 17 December, due to groin surgery. Pienaar was
sidelined even longer: the South-African held ice to his calf
for too long after the 22 October Champions League home
game against Celta de Vigo, thereby causing a mysterious
muscular injury that would bother him for almost five
months.
The two entered the pitch in the 68th minute. Ibrahimovic in
particular played as if he'd never been injured. Within five
minutes' time the Swede had two fine runs, concluded
by shots that forced Kujovic to stretch. He also headed
inches over the cross-bar on a Van der Vaart cross. With
Ibrahimovic and Pienaar creativity and dynamics seemed to
instantly return to the Ajax team. They even
produced Ajax's decisive fourth goal together in the 82nd
minute: Ibrahimovic's low cross from the left flank was tapped
home at the far post by a sliding Pienaar.
From left to right: Bobby Haarms,
John Jaakke, mayor Job Cohen and
Ajax commissioner Hein Blocks, sitting in the F-Side. [Photo:
Mike Verhoef/OFA]
Ajax was the far better team throughout, could have easily
scored more than four goals and was more solid in defense than
Roda's brace of goals suggest. However, the Kerkrade
side were tremendously close to scoring a fully
undeserved equalizer, while the applause for Zlatan and Pienaar
was just dying down. Bogdan Lobont once again looked
unconvincing on a high cross and was nailed to the ground
as a header by unmarked veteran defender Ger
Sendenen bounced diagonally wide. It was the only time the
49,553 spectators had to really hold their breath.
What they witnessed otherwise was, quite clearly, the
start of Ajax's return to form. Ajax vs Roda JC was, without a
doubt, one of the most attractive Ajax home games of the
season. Two of the enthusiastic supporters applauding Ajax
from the F-Side stand were, by the way, Ajax chairman John
Jaakke and the mayor of Amsterdam, Mr Job Cohen, who visited
the Supporters Home and the F-Side. One of the topics
the two gentlemen must have discussed after the match
was the upcoming official celebration of Ajax's 29th
championship of The Netherlands, for which - according to
Cohen - there is only one appropriate location: 'good old'
Leidseplein, probably in early May... (MP)
GOALS
- 26' 1-0 Nicolae Mitea
- 37' 2-0 Yannis Anastasiou
- 44' 2-1 Iwan Redan
- 45' 3-1 Yannis Anastasiou
- 46' 3-2 Marc Luypers
- 82' 4-2 Steven Pienaar
Referee: Wiedemeijer
Yellow cards: Vandenbroeck, Van Dessel (Roda
JC)
Attendance: 49,553
Ajax line-up: Lobont; Grygera (46.
Sneijder), Heitinga, Escudé, Maxwell; Galásek,
Van der Vaart, De Jong; Sonck (68. Pienaar), Anastasiou (68.
Ibrahimovic), Mitea.
Roda JC line-up: Kujovic; Senden, Van
Hoogdalem (46. Sonko), Luijpers, Filipovic; Vandenbroeck (46.
Brouwers), Van Dijk, Vicelich, Van Dessel; Kone, Redan (79.
Cristiano).
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