Ajax jump to third slot after 4-1 win over RBC Roosendaal

Without returning to their desired form and without truly impressing their home crowd Ajax have returned to the top three of the Eredivisie. The Amsterdammers took the pitch against RBC Roosendaal knowing that Feyenoord had just squandered a 0-2 lead at Heerenveen (2-2), so that a win would be enough for Ajax to leapfrog their Rotterdam arch-rivals. RBC, the league's #17, fought bravely in the first half hour and even levelled the score after Ajax's opening goal, but the difference in quality was simply too enormous: 4-1.

The 47,000+ crowd at the Amsterdam ArenA expected an Ajax side with Ryan Babel, the 17 year-old striker who did so surprisingly well at both De Graafschap and Juventus. Babel, however, picked up a minor injury in training and has to take it easy for a few days. The man to play from the start was Yannis Anastasiou and it said a lot that Wesley Sonck once again watched the game from the main stand of the ArenA. Stanley Aborah (who is in fact more of a 'number ten' type player) was on the bench as the reserve striker of Koeman's choice. Koeman stated in recent media interviews that Ajax will try to purchase a new striker in January and that one of the current strikers will be added to the transfer list. It seems a safe bet that this will be Sonck.

RBC Roosendaal sassily took the initiative in the opening minutes of the game and had a few dangerous breaks over the flanks, but never managed to really worry Ajax, who took it easy, controlled in defense and waited until the RBC 'storm' would die down. When goalkeeper Maikel Aerts failed to hold on to a low Julien Escudé shot and Yannis Anastasiou converted the rebound (13') an easy afternoon seemed ahead for Ajax. 

Ajax's right winger, Mauro Rosales... [Photo: Ajax.nl]

And an easy afternoon it was, even though RBC surprisingly fought back and scored a goal that was almost identical to Ajax's. It was typical that RBC's succesful break started when Zdenek Grygera slipped and lost his footing. The ArenA pitch seemed slippery throughout the game. The visitors took full advantage: Maxwell failed to mark Jesper Hakansson, after which Hans Vonk did not at all look convincing on the latter's low screamer. The Ajax goalie failed to hold on to the ball and saw Edwin de Graaf tap it home from under his fingertips: 1-1 (23').

An upset was never in the air under the closed roof of the ArenA, but it surely says something that Ajax still concede more than one goal per league game on average (16 in 14 games). What a difference with PSV, the rock-solid league leaders, who are about to break Ajax's 1971 record of keeping a clean sheet for 1082 consecutive minutes. The Eindhoven outfit did not concede a goal in the last 1020 minutes of Eredivisie action. If they don't concede one in before the 62nd minute mark next weekend, a 33 year-old record will be broken. 

Against RBC, however, the visitors' single goal hardly hurt. Immediately after the equalizer Maxwell and Nourdin Boukhari ripped the RBC defense up with a few pristine one-twos, and it was no surprise that one of them led to Ajax's second goal of the day: Maxwell set it up, Boukhari's 24-carat thru-pass put him face to face with Aerts and the Brazilian's finish in the near corner was sexy as ever: 2-1 (33'). The goal was a matter of time: a minute before it Aerts once again let a shot (this time by Boukhari) slip out of his fingers and (surprisingly) Julien Escudé was close to scoring on two occasions in the first half hour, both times with his head.

The last noteworthy moment of the first half was a Rafaël van der Vaart free-kick, beautifully curled around the RBC wall and punched out of the low corner by Aerts. Otherwise? It was slow. It was tepid. It was nothing special.

 
... and Ajax's left winger, Nourdin Boukhari. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

After the break it took Ajax only six minutes to definitively put the game out of RBC's reach. Ajax's third goal was the result of a well-rehearsed and very intelligent free-kick. The enitre RBC defense seemed to expect another Van der Vaart shot. But the man to take it was Wesley Sneijder, who did not shoot, but cross to the far post where a completely unmarked Julien Escudé finished with a stylish and well-timed diagonal header: 3-1.

"I've never scored this many," the Frenchman said after the game. "In France I only scored once in total, in a cup game against Le Havre. Now I have three goals in the last two games. What a week. My mother will never believe this."

His goal wasn't the only reason why Escudé was voted 'Man Of The Match' by the crowd: Ajax's #4 was once again flawless in defense and, most importantly, showed more of a forward drive than ever before. He seems no longer reluctant in storming forward with the ball and passing with risk, trusting his own accuracy. The defender was forced to make a step back at the start of the season (as Koeman opted for Heitinga and De Jong in the heart of defense), but seems to have made two steps forward.

Escudé's almost equally convincing partner in the heart of defense, Zdenek Grygera, could have made it 4-1 almost immediately after Escudé's goal: to his own surprise no RBC defender bothered him as he rushed forward with the ball. Face to face with Aerts however his shot was too wild and went diagonally wide.

The points were pocketed and Ajax are (still) not enough of an on-form side to be genuinely entertaining under such circumstances. Almost thirty minutes ticked away. After the announcement that the number of metro trains would be limited after the game (due to work on the tracks) many people decided to catch an early train. Ajax fourth goal of the day (fine low thru-ball by Maxwell, tapped home by Mauro Rosales) was scored in a half-empty ArenA. Which was typical. This win over RBC Roosendaal was good enough to make Ajax return to the top three of Dutch football, but not memorable in any way. RBC, meanwhile, never seriously attempted to get back into the game. "If we'd gone forward the score would probably have been 7-1," said RBC coach Jan van Dijk. "If we'd been bolder, Ajax would have strangled us."

Before the RBC home game Ronald Koeman stated that the quest for the Eredivisie championship is not over yet. "Every team will go through a tough period. That goes for PSV, too. We've already had our tough period." However, Koeman added, if the Amsterdammers want to get back into the race no points may be lost in the remaining league games against RBC, RKC (away), Vitesse (at home) and FC Groningen (away). A 100% score until the winter break; that is the target for now. (MP)

GOALS

• 13'  1-0  Yannis Anastasiou
• 23'  1-1  Edwin de Graaf
• 33'  2-1  Maxwell
• 51'  3-1  Julien Escudé
• 84'  4-1  Mauro Rosales

Referee: Van Dongen
Yellow card: Galásek (Ajax)
Attendance: 47,637

Ajax line-up: Vonk; Trabelsi, Grygera, Escudé, Maxwell; Galásek (72. De Jong), Van der Vaart, Sneijder; Rosales, Anastasiou (64. Aborah), Boukhari (64. Mitea).

RBC Roosendaal line-up: Aerts; Lammens, Molenaar, Hesp, Van de Ven; Oliseh, Hertog, De Graaf (65. Daelemans); Hakansson, Smolders (76. Guyt), De Lange.

Related Links:

• Discussion: Eredivisie Games
• Ajax.nl: Match report in English and Dutch
• Sporting Life: On-song Ajax crush RBC