KJH nets three as inspired Ajax crush Sparta: 6-0
6 (3) - 0
(0)
Eredivisie
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Sunday, 05 March, 2006
Are Ajax finally on top of things, on-form and ready for the
upcoming big games against PSV (11 March) and Internazionale
(14 March)...? If only we knew... It is yet to be seen
whether or not a string of five wins against lowly
Eredivisie opposition has really brought Ajax back on
track. The fact is that Ajax's home performance against
poor Sparta Rotterdam was arguably their best (and
definitely the most entertaining) of the current
season. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who is quickly turning into a
phenomenon, was once again the 'big man' (he scored three
times), but almost every Ajacied who helped demolishing Sparta
(6-0) deserved a compliment today.
Only two weeks ago RBC Roosendaal were also
beaten 6-0, but Ajax's performance against Sparta
was much better. Against RBC Ajax struggled
for almost 70 minutes before it suddenly went fast in
the latter 20. Against Sparta, Ajax played well, sometimes
very well, for about 70 minutes, and still quite
acceptable in the latter 20. It's been a long, long time since
Ajax played so well, so consistently, in a home game at the
ArenA.
Ajax's goalscorers of the day
celebrate another one:
Vermaelen, Huntelaar and Boukhari. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
They deserve praise for that, if only because there was
once again a pretty impressive list of injuries: Grygera,
Heitinga, Sneijder and Galásek were
unavailable, whereas young Jeffrey Sarpong picked up a knock in
training this week and started on the bench. Perhaps Danny
Blind would have preferred to rest Steven Pienaar for a few
more days after his three month battle
against injury, but he had no choice: the South-African
returned to the starting eleven, his first appearance since 11
December 2005 at Vitesse.
Pienaar visibly lacked some 'rhythm', but his team-mates
made it easy for him: a smooth return to action is
a lot easier in a winning team, which is exactly what Ajax
were from the 5th minute onwards. The player to
singlehandedly decide the game in the opening phase was...
former Sparta man Nourdin Boukhari, who beautifully
chipped the ball over René Ponk (5')
and surprised the Sparta goalie once again in the
14th minute: Thomas Vermaelen headed a Rosales corner
kick on goal. Boukhari's backward
deflection was decisive: 2-0 (14'). Just before
and just after the opening goal, a very energetic and
sometimes unstoppable Markus Rosenberg had created himself two
scoring chances as well. Sparta were gasping for air in the
opening phase.
There's a lot you can say about Nourdin Boukhari, but
definitely not that he's a whiner who gives up
easily. The Moroccan Rotterdammer was deemed 'not good enough'
for Ajax-1 two or three times and was jeered at by his own
fans on a couple of occasions this season.
Boukhari never complained, never moaned, gave everything he had
in training and did whatever the coach ordered him to do.
Boukhari's contract expires at season's end and is highly
unlikely to be renewed, but the left-footer most definitely
deserves respect for the determined way in which he once again
'came back from the dead', in a game against (how bittersweet)
the club that first acknowledged his talents. In between his
two goals, by the way, Boukhari picked up a yellow card that
will unfortunately cost him next week's cracker against
PSV.
Steven Pienaar returned from
injury. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Ajax were remarkably inspired and energetic throughout the
game, as if they wished to underscore Danny Blind's
words from a few days earlier. Blind told newspaper
Het Parool that the mentality of his squad, as
well as the team spirit, had improved considerably in
recent weeks. Against Sparta almost everyone
contributed to the victory. Hatem Trabelsi, for example, was
the 'twelve cylinder' fullback the Ajax fans once knew,
whereas Thomas Vermaelen played one of his best games for
Ajax (after an equally succesful international
début for Belgium, a few days earlier). As for the three
forwards (Rosales, Huntelaar and Rosenberg): they were
three of Ajax's very best and seem to
develop chemistry between them. Markus Rosenberg did not
notch a goal, but his performance against Sparta was possibly
his best for Ajax so far. His solo runs, his
'movement-without-ball', his first touch, his crossing - the
Swede got almost everything right.
One man, however, deserves a paragraph of his own: Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar. Not just because he scored three times, but simply
because his presence has made Ajax a much better
team. His positioning is fantastic, every midfielder can always
pass the ball to him, and he can hold it up and do
something constructive with it. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is one
of those rare strikers who seem to attract the ball like a
magnet, who seem to 'suck' fine crosses from the wingers into
the goalmouth. And of course, he is an absolutely fantastic
goalscorer, which he showed for the first time after 40
minutes, by hammering a Rosales cross into the net with a
first-time volley. He did it with the stone-cold posture
of a true striker: Ajax attack, Huntelaar takes position, cross
comes in... BANG. Goal.
The 'Huntelaar show' continued in the second half,
immediately after Thomas Vermaelen's slamming header, on a
pristine Markus Rosenberg cross, had made it 4-0
(53'). Two minutes later Rosenberg once again demonstrated
his excellent form and undisputed class by dribbling into
the box and providing Huntelaar with a very intelligent, low
thru-pass. A sliding KJH could fire home at the far post: 5-0
(55').
Huntelaar's third goal was his nicest of the day:
a truly stunning free-kick from 24 yards out, superbly curled
over the Sparta wall and into the top corner. It was beautiful
to see how the 22 year-old newcomer stepped forward and
resolutely dismissed Rosales and Maduro, claiming the free-kick
as a born leader. It was also very good to see that
Rosales and Maduro were the first to hug
Huntelaar when he made the most out of the set piece.
"Another three goals for Huntelaar," smiled Danny Blind
after the game. "You could say: he's just doing what he's
supposed to do, it's what he was bought for. But make no
mistake: there was pressure on him. Having the qualities is one
thing, but actually doing it is something
different. I am not entirely sure, but I think he's scored
12 goals in 11 games now [correct! - ed.]. I take my hat off to
that."
6-0 Ajax... and it could have been more. Both Rosales and
Rosenberg had a few more fine runs and crosses (mostly for
Huntelaar), and could have graced their fine performances with
a goal, too. As for Sparta: they failed to create a single
scoring opportunity in the first hour, but got a perfect one
almost immediately after Ajax's sixth. Hedwiges Maduro
committed the foul; referee Kuipers pointed to the penalty
spot. But it was written in the stars: Maarten
Stekelenburg stopped Jason Oost's poor attempt
(63'). All Ajacieden - no exception -
quickly dropped by to congratulate the Ajax goalkeeper on
his fine save. Tiny things like that underscore
the growing sense of brotherhood in the Ajax
team.
And that's three! Huntelaar's
free-kick is on its way to the top corner. [Photo:
Ajax.nl]
"Sparta played very, very poorly today," said Sparta coach
Wiljan Vloet after the game. "We played without passion. And
we're lucky that we didn't lose 9-0, or something like
that. We've been slaughtered; that's what's happened
today."
As for Danny Blind: he's had some hard times in his
first season as Ajax's head-coach and it is too early
to say that the dark days are over. For the moment,
however, Ajax are doing well. They grabbed the fifteen points
they wanted to grab from the string of five games
against lowly opposition, they score very easily and gave
themselves a much-needed confidence boost. How much have
they really improved...? We will find out
soon enough, now that the 2005-2006
Eredivisie is about to pull into a crucial phase for
Ajax. Games against PSV, Inter Milan, Groningen and Roda
JC (Gatorade Cup, semi final) are on the agenda. Blind:
"We'll be playing against the Dutch top, the European top
and a team that is closely behind us. We're
not ready for those games just yet, I think, but
we're getting there." (MP)
GOALS
- 05' 1-0 Nourdin Boukhari
- 14' 2-0 Nourdin Boukhari
- 40' 3-0 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 53' 4-0 Thomas Vermaelen
- 56' 5-0 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 63' 6-0 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Referee: Kuipers
Yellow cards: Boukhari (Ajax), Van
Tornhout, Gudde (Sparta Rotterdam)
Attendance: 46,476
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Trabelsi
(82. Timisela), Maduro, Vermaelen, Emanuelson (74. Juanfran);
Pienaar (70. Sarpong), Lindenbergh, Boukhari; Rosales,
Huntelaar, Rosenberg.
Sparta Rotterdam line-up: Ponk;
De Fauw, Gudde, Schenkel, Gudelj; Oost, Obodai, Rose (65.
Polak); Van Bueren (46. Kaita), Van Tornhout (35. Emnes),
Bouaouzan.
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