De Jong shows the way: Ajax advance in CL

2 (0) - 1 (0)
UEFA Champions League
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Wednesday, 22 November, 2005

Ajax's poor domestic performances (the Amsterdammers are having their worst start in the Dutch Eredivisie in 41 years...) are in sharp contrast to their Champions League results: their 2-1 win over Sparta Prague at the Amsterdam ArenA saw Ajax through to the knock-out stages of Europe's most prestigious football competition for the first time in three years. After five games, Ajax have already gathered ten points, thereby securing the second slot in group B. The last group game, at Arsenal FC on 07 December, will be a 'friendly'. A kickabout with no meaning between group B's unrivalled #1 and #2.

Grygera wore the captain's armband. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

The figures are impressive: for the first time since the fall of 1996, Ajax grabbed (at least) three wins in a Champions League group. They scored ten goals: two in every game, a better average than in the Eredivisie.

Yet, the 46,158 fans at the ArenA, and even the players and coaches, celebrated the qualification in a rather modest way. There was no euphoria. No craziness. Everybody knows the story: group B of this season's Champions League was possibly the weakest ever, which is underscored by the fact that all four teams had a remarkably poor start in their domestic leagues and are at least ten points behind the league leaders. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that three of the weakest participants were in the same group, so that the hardly impressive Arsenal could freewheel to the second round with a 100% score. Ajax just had to finish second in this group. It was their moral obligation. They did it, and had the right to be pleased with their achievement. But that was about it, really.

Amidst such modesty, you'd almost forget what a tremendously important triumph this is for the club. Ajax's UEFA coefficient (for the UEFA club ranking that determines the seeding list for the Champions League) is on the increase, football-mad Europe will finally see the name of Ajax come out of the bowl again during the draw for the knock-out stages on 16 December and - last, but definitely not least - the club is making extremely good money. Ajax's results in the group stage yielded a UEFA bonus of 5.2 million euros, and these were only the premiums for every point grabbed plus the qualification bonus for making it to the second round. We're not even talking about the money for TV broadcasts, ticket sales and the Champions League 'sponsor pool' yet.

Impressive once again: Urby Emanuelson. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

But, before we get euphoric after all, let's stay modest... At the Amsterdam ArenA, Sparta Prague were arguably even weaker than FC Thun on 18 October. In the first group game, in Prague on 14 September, Ajax had 70% possession. Today it was 67%, but - other than in Prague at the time - Ajax's dominance hardly yielded any chances. The only real one (a free header opportunity from close range) was wasted by defender Thomas Vermaelen, a surprising starter in Danny Blind's team, due to the absence of Tomás Galásek (suspended). Vermaelen played alongside Zdenek Grygera in central defense, so that Hedwiges Maduro could move on to the 'Galásek role' in midfield.

It is the position where Maduro normally plays his best games, but this time he didn't. Maduro had an off-day and he wasn't the only Ajacied. Wesley Sneijder struggled in a similar way, but the weakest man on the pitch was (once again) Nourdin Boukhari, who played in default of an injured Ryan Babel. Yannis Anastasiou, who (rather surprisingly) started again, keeping Markus Rosenberg benched, also failed to have an impact: the Greek is good at holding up the ball, but demonstrated that he simply lacks almost every other quality to seriously worry a defense line of 'European' quality. Ajax's best (it's almost getting boring) was brave Urby Emanuelson, who was aggressive, bold and resolute as ever.

Ajax played slowly, cautiously and shakily. Sparta Prague, meanwhile, were simply weak. The result was one of the dullest first halves of the season. Hardly anything noteworthy happened. In Bern, Switzerland, FC Thun and Arsenal also entered the break at 0-0. Which was good: two goalless draws in group B would be enough for Ajax to qualify.

Without playing well, Ajax created considerably more danger in the second half, which was less than two minutes underway when Yannis Anastasiou missed the best chance of the game: the Greek was unmarked on a low Boukhari cross, but tapped wide of the near post.

Steven Pienaar set up the critical second goal. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

Maduro and Boukhari seemed ready for a substitution, but when Blind brought on Nigel de Jong (53') and Markus Rosenberg (62'), Lindenbergh and Anastasiou were taken off. A very fortunate decision indeed, so it would turn out. In the 68th minute Markus Rosenberg was brought down just outside of the penalty area after a good individual run. Wesley Sneijder quickly curled the free-kick into the goalmouth, where Nigel de Jong placed his head against it: 1-0 (68').

Rosenberg played with confidence, but - much to his own frustration - failed to score after Ajax had broken the deadlock. He had no less than two enormous chances, the best one on a Sneijder free-kick in the 82nd minute: the Swede suddenly had an unmarked shooting chance from close range, but drove the ball over the cross-bar.

Sparta Prague still hadn't created a real chance at this point. A 73rd minute Lukás header (easily caught by Maarten Stekelenburg) was probably their best moment in the Ajax penalty area. The proud club from the Czech capital fired their coach earlier this season (former Feyenoord man Stanislav Griga is now their boss), but are still near the relegation zone in the Czech league. And, with all due respect, so you could see. Ajax were the clearly dominant side and they wrapped it up in the 89th minute, when Steven Pienaar dribbled into the penalty box and pulled it back to his mate Nigel de Jong, who dryly hammered home from the edge of the area: 2-0 (89').

The win was secured, but it really said something about the state the club are in that Sparta almost immediately pulled a goal back (Petrás pushed a corner under Stekelenburg, surrounded by Ajax defenders), which made for a few nerve-wracking minutes. The ArenA crowd did not know that Robert Pires had given Arsenal a late lead in Bern, so that even a draw would have been enough for Ajax to qualify.

A modest party could be celebrated. Head-coach Danny Blind praised his unlikey match-winner, Nigel de Jong. "Of course it hurts when you have to bench a player like Nigel, a boy with a lion's heart, a boy who always gives everything. It is very nice that Nigel, whom I had to disappoint for tactical reasons, ends up scoring both goals."

"The hierarchy in this group was as we expected," continued Blind. "We did what we had to do, but we have to be modest. More than anything else this qualification is a confidence boost, which will hopefully have its effect on the squad." (MP)

GOALS

68' 1-0 Nigel de Jong
89' 2-0 Nigel de Jong
90' 2-1 Martin Petrás

Referee: Ivanov (Russia)
Cards: none
Attendance: 46,158

Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Trabelsi, Grygera, Vermaelen, Emanuelson; Maduro, Lindenbergh (53. De Jong), Sneijder; Pienaar, Anastasiou (62. Rosenberg), Boukhari.

AC Sparta Praha line-up: Blazek; Petrás, Lukas, Petrous, Kadlec; Herzán (85. Simak), Zelenka (70. Slepicka), Hasek, Pospech; Polácek, Dosek.