Single Nedved goal lifts Juventus past Ajax
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UEFA Champions League
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Wednesday, 15 September, 2004
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"These Italian sides drive me insane," said Ajax captain
Rafaël van der Vaart after his team's first Champions
League match of the season. The opponent was - once again - one
of Italy's supreme powerhouses and the
game was in many ways similar to some of
Ajax's recent confrontations with Internazionale (fall
2002) and AC Milan (fall 2003): one goal was enough for
the Italians to claim the three points. All that
remained for Ajax was the usual praise for their good play.
Ajax vs Juventus had a result that was as
unfortunate for the red and white as it was predictable:
0-1.
To Ajax's credit, it must be said that there were also a few
differences with last season's home defeat against
AC Milan (26 November 2003): at the time Ajax had lots
of possession and put the Italians under pressure, but almost
completely failed to create actual danger, while Milan had
the by far best chances on counter-attack. The Amsterdammers
did a better job this time: Ajax did get chances,
whereas Juventus hardly had any. Yet, the first half hour after
the break was the only phase in which 'Juve' seemed
to lose control and Ajax's equalizer was in the air.
Before the break, in particular, the 'Old Lady' from Turin was
in total control of the game.
Wesley Sonck battles with Thuram
of Juventus. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Eventually, one moment of brilliance by the best man on the
pitch, Czech superstar Pavel Nedved, made the
difference: Del Piero and Camoranesi were involved
in the attack, which was finished by Nedved with
a superb touch with the outside of his right boot. He
gently grazed the ball, which beautifully curled into the top
corner. Absolutely no chance for Maarten Stekelenburg. 0-1
(42').
Juventus deserved the goal at that point, in spite of the
fact that Ajax started the game fiercely and almost
had the perfect start: Wesley Sonck's screamer from twenty
yards slammed against the cross-bar. After that, however, the
visitors took control over the game, leaving Ajax the
initiative, but hardly allowing the Amsterdammers onto
their half of the pitch. Ajax's combination rarely reached
further than the middle line, where defenders Thuram and
Cannavaro seemed not at all impressed by Ajax's light-weight
forwards, Wesley Sonck and Nicolae Mitea.
It made the Amsterdam crowd cynical at times: the big,
strong striker Ajax could have used so
well was playingd for Juventus... Fifteen days after
his unexpected departure Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to the
ArenA, where he surprisingly played from the start (coach Fabio
Capello benched David Trézeguet) and was warmly
applauded by his former supporters. The Ajax
fans thanked the Swede on several flags and
banners and yelled his name, even after the
defeat. According to a report on the website of the
Independent Ajax Fanclub (OFA) the Swede was sincerely
moved by the reception. "They were amazing," Ibrahimovic said.
"I will never forget this. I've had three fantastic years with
the supporters and I want to thank them. This was
incredible."
Tom de Mul. [Photo:
Ajax.nl]
Ibrahimovic was somewhat anonymous in his new team and was
marked extremely well by - most of the time - Zdenek Grygera.
Both Ajax and Juventus had a Czech international as their best
player. Ajax's second Czech, Tomás Galásek, was
still missing due to injury. Coach Ronald Koeman also had to do
without Mauro Rosales, who sustained a light groin injury in
training on Monday. The Argentinian could have added some extra
pace and creativity to the Ajax offense.
Koeman's options for the forward line were limited, but
it must be said that Ajax's second half display was much
better than expected. The hosts increased the pressure,
played fast and accurately and created danger several times,
especially when Nicolae Mitea penetrated Juventus' defense from
the left flank. Ajax's best chance came in the 54th minute as
Mitea's cross was flicked on backwards by Rafaël van der
Vaart. Goalkeeper Buffon was out of position and Steven Pienaar
seemed push home, but saw his attempt blocked on the goal-line.
Two minutes later Van der Vaart could have
tipped a Maxwell cross into the net if his
soccer boots had been one size bigger. Another
backward flick by Van der Vaart offered Wesley Sonck an
open shooting chance on the edge of the penalty box. He did not
hit the ball right. These were the biggest chances of the
game.
Remarkably, Ajax's offensive seemed to die
down thanks to a remarkable substitution by Ronald
Koeman, who replaced his best midfielder (Wesley Sneijder)
with another feather-wight forward: Tom De Mul. The young
Belgian did not make an impact and the changes in the Ajax
formation actually allowed Juventus to take over, create
two chances (an Ibrahimovic header and a long range
attempt by Olivera, well saved by Stekelenburg)
and carry the three points across the finish line in sovereign
fashion.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic traded shirts
with one of his former teammates after the game. [Photo:
Ajax.nl]
And there was Ajax, empty-handed and feeling that a
point would have been fair. They were right, in a way,
because the chances were there this time. But
nevertheless, Wesley Sonck and Yannis Anastasiou
simply lacked that little extra to worry top drawer
defenders such as Cannavaro and Thuram. Zlatan Ibrahimovic did
not make the difference for Juventus, but was at the same
time sorely missed by Ajax. The supporters made crystal
clear who they think is to blame for Zlatan's departure.
"The board is for sale!" they yelled during the second
half.
"In the beginning of the second half we played how we wanted
to play," said Ronald Koeman after the game. "We would have
deserved a goal in that phase. But we were a bit unfortunate in
converting the chances (...) It may sound strange after a 0-1
defeat, but I am not unhappy about this result, although I
think we did deserve more."
There is, indeed, reason for Ajax to be optimistic, in spite
of the defeat. Against Internazionale and AC Milan Ajax played
considerably better in Italy than in Amsterdam. Given that
fact you could say that the toughest out of the six fixtures in
Group C has now been played. The Amsterdammers' play,
meanwhile, was sometimes good enough to hope for
a good result in Munich, Germany, on September
28. (MP)
GOAL
Referee: Meier (Switzerland)
Yellow cards: Obodai, Sneijder (Ajax),
Nedved (Juventus).
Attendance: 49,375
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; De Jong,
Grygera (76. Escudé), Heitinga, Maxwell; Sneijder (65.
De Mul), Obodai (72. Anastasiou), Pienaar, Van der Vaart;
Sonck, Mitea.
Juventus line-up: Buffon;
Birindelli (65. Pessotto), Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta;
Camoranesi, Emerson, Blasi, Nedved (65. Olivera); Ibrahimovic,
Del Piero (77. Appiah).
Other Group C result:
Maccabi Tel-Aviv - FC Bayern München 0-1 (
UEFA.com match report)
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