Boukhari brace knocks out NAC: 1-2

This is the true story of a football player named Nourdin Boukhari... Seventeen months ago the left winger scored NAC's second goal  against Ajax in Breda. He had been deemed not good enough for Ajax-1 by coach Ronald Koeman that summer and was playing for the Breda outfit on loan. Last summer Boukhari returned to Amsterdam. He had a good start of the 2004-2005 season, but soon lost his spot. Three weeks ago coach Ronald Koeman once again decided that Boukhari's services were no longer needed: Nicolae Mitea and Ryan Babel (not even a real left winger) were his first two candidates for the left forward position. Boukhari dropped out of the first squad. Again. Possibly for good.

But things can change fast at the H.M.S. Ajax, especially with a captain at the steering wheel as unpredictable and fickle as Ronald Koeman. Mitea is having a form crisis, Babel recovered from a minor injury this week and will be badly needed as a striker in Wednesday's UEFA Cup fixture against AJ Auxerre, for which newcomer Angelos Charisteas is not eligible. And there was Nourdin Boukhari again, once again coming back like a boomerang after having been dumped. He had his first Ajax-1 appearance since early December today - and became an unlikely hero by scoring both of Ajax's goals at... NAC Breda: 1-2. 

Bizarre, but true.

'Mitea out, Boukhari in' wasn't the only change to the Ajax starting line-up after the dramatic loss of no less than five points in the last two matches. Koeman had to field an entirely new midfield: Van der Vaart (suspended), Sneijder (injured) and Heitinga (in bed with the flu) were unavailable and replaced by Steven Pienaar, Anthony Obodai (whose disciplinary ban was lifted) and Young Ajax's Rasmus Lindgren, who finally made his official first team début after a series of good performances in friendlies. The young Swede had a fine début. Obodai was one of Ajax's best in Breda.

Two more Young Ajax players (Hedwiges Maduro and Urby Emanuelson) were on the bench, so that many an Ajax supporter wondered: where is John O'Brien? The American was on the bench last week and played the full 90 minutes against the Ghanese national team on Wednesday... In Breda his name was not on the Ajax team sheet.

Nourdin Boukhari celebrates his late winner with traveling Ajax fans. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

Indeed - there was a lot to say about the Ajax line-up, but the Ajax supporters who made the trip to cold, rainy and stormy Breda hardly had time for that: the game had hardly started as Nourdin Boukhari received the ball on the left flank - and scored. Somehow. Was it his intention or did he have a cross in mind? Either way: his 'banana shot' totally surprised goalkeeper Davy Schollen and slammed against the far side netting: 0-1.

Ajax's early and rather fortunate goal was a blow in the face of the home team, who are having a disappointing season so far anyway. Ajax were in complete control of the game in the first 35 minutes, apart from one moment: a dangerous run followed by a furious strike from striker Ali Boussaboun, from the edge of the penalty area (20'). Hans Vonk saved well. Boussaboun, meanwhile, started rubbing his hamstring immediately after his attempt: the NAC striker had to be replaced a few minutes later. Vonk, by the way, also had to be replaced (at half time) due to a muscular injury in his upper leg. Maarten Stekelenburg replaced him.

Ajax were the clearly better (but never great) side in the first half, but the Amsterdammers' dominance did not yield too many scoring chances. Just like the hosts Ajax had one open scoring chance in the first half: in the 17th minute a fine cross by Mauro Rosales was headed inches wide of the near post by Steven Pienaar. Rosales was almost unstoppable in the first half hour. NAC required many fouls to terminate the speedy Argentine's rushes.

NAC were considerably bolder in the second half and, minutes after Hungarian fullback Nebojsa Gudelj's dangerous shot was blocked, the score was level. And what a goal it was: A free-kick, some twenty yards out, was superbly rocketed into the upper ninety by Yuri Cornelisse. Maarten Stekelenburg's fingertips only grazed the unstoppable shot: 1-1 (54').

The game at the ever atmospheric MyCom Stadium was instantly on fire, where both teams almost literally battled for the win (no less than eight players were booked by referee Pieter Vink). It was fast, energetic, almost never good but genuinely exciting for the remaining 40 minutes or so. Rob Penders had to push Angelos Charisteas to the grass when the Greek was about to come face to face with Schollen, Steven Pienaar could have been awarded a penalty as Penders brought him down, but the very best chance was for NAC forward Anouar Diba, who penetrated the Ajax defense and released a nasty, low shot that only went millimetres wide (82').

 Lindgren (right) made his official debut for Ajax. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

In the latter fifteen minutes of the game the hosts actually seemed closer to scoring a winner than Ajax, but the decisive goal was suddenly scored at the other end: Nourdin Boukhari was just on side (thanks to NAC's 'last man' Gudelj) on Steven Pienaar's beautiful chip and calmly pushed the ball under Davy Schollen and into the net: 1-2 (88'). The fact that midfielder Arno Slot was awfully close to equalizing in the very last minute of the game (his attempt from close range was deflected straight into Stekelenburg's hands) shows how tight the game was, that a point for NAC would not have been undeserved and that Ajax were, quite simply, the luckiest side on the day.

The Amsterdammers have been fascinatingly inconsistent since the winter break: two tough road games that were lost last season (Utrecht and NAC) were won in recent weeks, but two home fixtures against lowly opposition (Den Haag and Twente) cost Ajax five points and their title hopes. By winning in Breda Ajax closed in on both PSV and AZ, who drew 0-0 in Alkmaar on Saturday. That result made Ajax's recent stumbles even more painful: both AZ and PSV would have been within 'shooting range', had Ajax battled as hard against Den Haag and Twente as they did today, in Breda.

The reality, however, is that Ajax are on the sidelines in the Eredivisie and that the only competition in which Ajax can still go for some meaningful glory is the UEFA Cup, in which AJ Auxerre will be the opponent on Wednesday. (MP)

GOALS

• 03'  0-1  Nourdin Boukhari
• 54'  1-1  Yuri Cornelisse
• 88'  1-2  Nourdin Boukhari

Referee: Vink
Yellow cards: Lurling, Petö, Kerstens (NAC Breda), Lindgren, Pienaar, Obodai, Trabelsi, De Jong (Ajax) 
Attendance: 15,103

Ajax line-up: Vonk (46. Stekelenburg); Trabelsi, De Jong, Escudé, Maxwell; Obodai, Pienaar, Lindgren; Rosales (74. De Ridder), Charisteas (65. Babel), Boukhari.

NAC Breda line-up: Schollen; Collen, Penders, Kerstens, Gudelj; Mendes da Silva, Slot, Petö; Cornelisse, Boussaboun (26. Diba), Lurling.

Related Links:

• Discussion: 13 Feb 2005: NAC Breda - Ajax
• Ajax.nl: Match report in  Dutch and English