Peculiar 'Ajax combi team' beats AT5 United
2 (1) - 1
(0)
Friendly
Sportpark De Toekomst,
Amsterdam
Saturday, 22 May, 2004
Saturday 22 May was the big day for the players of AT5
United: after three months of training, preparation and - more
than anything else - fun, they finally got to
take on Ajax at its youth complex of De Toekomst. And it
must be said: the team, selected by coach Peter
van de Rijt on behalf of AT5 TV's weekly Ajax talkshow FC
Godenzonen, did a magnificent job against a peculiar
'combination team' of Ajax-1 and Ajax 'Saturday' amateur
players. In the end, however, two rather fortunate goals by
first teamers Nigel de Jong and Yannis Anastasiou brought Ajax
a 2-1 win and the first ever AT5 Cup.
Ajax captain for the day, Yannis
Anastasiou, lifts the AT5 Cup. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
The story behind the game in short: throughout the season
Peter van de Rijt, connaisseur of Amsterdam amateur football,
visited an amateur game every weekend for his weekly item
in FC Godenzonen. He selected his favourite
player from each game, thusly putting together an all-star team
of amateur footballers for Amsterdam-based clubs, playing
in the top classes of Dutch amateur football. Van de
Rijt's team, that was soon named AT5
United, wanted to play Ajax at season's end. On
behalf of Ajax, general director Arie van Eijden, coach Ronald
Koeman and chairman John Jaakke gave their word (and a firm
handshake) to FC Godenzonen host Matthijs van
Nieuwkerk, live on TV, and the fixture was added to the agenda.
Tickets were sold for only 5 euros each. The entire proceedings
were donated to Amsterdam's VU Childrens' Hospital.
So, Ajax played AT5 United as promised, although the
club partly broke its promise also: namely by fielding a
team that only remotely looked like Ajax-1. Nigel de Jong,
Yannis Anastasiou, Abubakari Yakubu, Sander Boschker and
Victor Sikora are the only first teamers still in
Amsterdam. The remaining six in the starting line-up were
Ajacieden that never expected to ever make their
(unofficial) Ajax-1 début: players of Ajax's
succesful 'Saturday-1' amateur side, that
qualified for next season's professional Amstel Cup on
Thursday. "A great experience" for the Ajax amateurs,
according to Saturday-1 captain Mark Geestman.
As for the game itself: the all-blue AT5 United side was, to
everyone's surprise, the clearly dominant team from the outset
and had several fine chances to take the lead in the opening
phase of the game, played on a sun-drenched De Toekomst pitch
in front of some 2,000 spectators. Most of the AT5
players did not even know each other three months ago, but
a few weeks of training and a 'team building' weekend in the
coastal town of Callantsoog actually made them a team,
determined to beat Ajax.
In the end, however, two first team players made the
difference. Nigel de Jong gave Ajax the lead just before
half-time. His goal was wiped out three minutes before the end
by a well-deserved and very pretty AT5 equalizer: Lex
Oosterling, normally a striker for Hollandia football club,
calmly fired a low Laurens Bianchi cross against the
netting, after a beautiful build-up across field. The AT5
bench, including coach Van de Rijt, jumped up cheering. Before
the game the teams agreed on a penalty shoot-out if the result
would be a draw.
However, a shoot-out was not necessary after all. Three
minutes after AT5's equalizer Ajax scored another
fortunate and rather ugly goal, as Yannis
Anastasiou tapped his foot against a Victor Sikora cross
and saw the ball trickle across the goal-line
after having taken a deflection off the legs of AT5
defender Guillaume Groot (normally of Hellas Sport): 2-1
(87').
As the final whistle sounded the Ajax captain's armband
was around the arm of Yannis Anastasiou, who therefore got to
grace his first ever appearance as Ajax's captain with
the lifting of the impressive AT5 Cup, presented to
him by Amsterdam's town councillor of sports and recreation,
Hester Maij.
The 'moral winners', however, were the amateurs of AT5
United. Nigel de Jong: "My compliments to those guys.
I really think they played very, very well." De
Jong's comments were echoed by Yannis Anastasiou: "I
really have to extend a major compliment to the coach and the
players of AT5." Unofficial Ajax-1 débutant
Mark Geestman: "This is an excellent achievement by
the guys from AT5 United. They hardly ever played together, but
they did very well against us. They deserve a compliment. Also,
I think this AT5 initiative is a very positive
contribution to Amsterdam amateur football."
One of the best players in the blue jersey of AT5 United was
captain Laurens Bianchi, normally playing for the great
DWS. His post-game comment: "It was great to work towards this
game with the guys, but it wasn't always easy. Some guys still
had games to play with their clubs and some of them had to take
time off work. Therefore I think coach Van de Rijt did great
work with this team. We've been to Callantsoog from Thursday
'til yesterday, for 'team building' purposes. Anyway: now we're
going to party!"
Time for a drink, indeed. The 2003-2004 season has
reached its conclusion. Roll on Euro 2004! Ajax will get
back to business on Wednesday 07 July. (MP)
Source: Ajax.nl, AT5
GOALS
- 45' 1-0 Nigel de Jong
- 85' 1-1 Lex Oosterling
- 88' 2-1 Yannis Anastasiou
Referee: Wouda
Cards: none
Attendance: 2,150
Ajax line-up: Boschker (46. Homoet);
Reumer, Geestman, Tsie, De Jong; Demirtas (46. Nicorec), Moinat
(46. Ait Mama), Yakubu; Ahadouch, Anastasiou, Sikora.
AT5 United starting line-up: De Langen
(77. Doest); Esionye, Van Ommeren, Groot, Akhamrane; Zwarthoed,
Bianchi, Goeman (58. De Waa), Husers (52. Las van
Bennekom); Oosterling, Renger (72. Mallie).
Related Links:
