Patient Ajax strike late at Heracles: 1-3
1 (1) - 3
(1)
Eredivisie
Polman Stadium, Almelo
Sunday, 26 February, 2006
In early February, when five games against lowly Eredivisie
opposition were lying ahead, Danny Blind stated that he
absolutely demanded the full 15 points from
those five encounters. So far, his players are not
letting him down: today's win in the 'Battle of
the Greek Warriors' against Heracles Almelo (1-3)
lifted Ajax's score to the full 12 points out of
the first four games. Blind: "And next week we must take
another three points off Sparta. We're getting there, slowly
but certainly, although we're still very far away from the
football we want to play."
A fair analysis by the Ajax boss, who (although he didn't
bring them up) had a number of excuses for Ajax's shaky play,
especially in the first half hour. For starters, the team had
no support at Polman Stadium. The Ajax support was
banned by the KNVB, as a penalty for the havoc created by
Ajax supporters in Utrecht on 27 November 2005. Secondly, it
was Ajax's first ever official game on artificial turf
(the only time they played on 'fake grass' so far was in a
friendly at Heracles on
07 January 2004). Thirdly, and most importantly, Blind had
to miss out almost all of his defensive players of
preference: Hatem Trabelsi (suspended), John Heitinga,
Zdenek Grygera and defensive midfielder Tomás
Galásek (all injured for some six weeks). As for
his offensive troops: Sneijder, Pienaar and Mitea were
still injured as well.
Captain Olaf Lindenbergh duels
with Stefaan Tanghe. [Ajax.nl]
The Ajax team that entered the artificial pitch
was heavily battered by injuries, so that Michael
Timisela (right fullback of Young Ajax) played from the start
for the first time and Hedwiges Maduro moved a line back, to
play alongside Thomas Vermaelen in the heart of defense. In
midfield captain Olaf Lindenbergh was assisted by Nourdin
Boukhari (yet another unlikely return to the starting
line-up!) and young Jeffrey Sarpong.
The home side knew of Ajax's problems and made it very clear
in the opening phase that they smelled blood, putting Ajax
under tremendous pressure with opportunism, determination
and physical superiority as their main weapons. After a 15th
minute warning shot by Japanese striker Sota Hirayama
(his header went inches wide) the black and white hosts
took a well-deserved lead in the 19th minute, as Mika Nurmela
penetrated the Ajax penalty area from the right, was smarter
than Thomas Vermaelen and intelligently pulled back to left
winger Thijs Sluijter, who easily tapped home from close range:
1-0 (19').
In the 23rd minute Hirayama would have made it 2-0 if it
wasn't for Nourdin Boukhari's excellent defending with the
head, and in the 28th minute former Feyenoord veteran Rob
Maas had a 24-carat shooting chance from the edge of the
penalty area. Maas was unmarked and had time to aim, but
fired too wildly, over the cross-bar of Maarten Stekelenburg's
goal. Ajax were lucky to be 'only' one goal down
after 30 minutes.
In the latter 15 minutes of the first half, however,
Ajax finally seemed to get the game under control.
Fullbacks Timisela and Emanuelson put Heracles' dangerous
wingers in their pockets (Sluijter and Nurmela, respectively),
Olaf Lindenbergh screwed up his courage as Ajax's
field marshall in midfield and Blind changed his
formation: Rosenberg and Huntelaar were now upfront together,
in what was essentially a 4-2-4 formation with
Rosales and (surprisingly) Sarpong as the wingers. It
yielded the desired result: the first threatening
moments (from Huntelaar and
Rosenberg) were soon there. Heracles, who had
given a lot in the first half hour, longed for
a 15-minute break, which arrived just too
late for them. In the 45th minute an attack via Nourdin
Boukhari was insufficiently cleared, which allowed Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar to step forward and hammer home, dryly
and diagonally: 1-1 (45').
After the break Ajax slowly but certainly turned the game
around: the percentage of possession, the number of shots on
goal, the number of shots wide, the number of corner
kicks... the statistics were soon in Ajax's favour. It
must be said, however, that Heracles had the best
chance of the second half when the ball
was whacked forward by an Almelo defender in the
61st minute. Sota Hirayama had a very long way to go, but
much to everyone's surprise Maarten Stekelenburg had left
his goal. It even surprised Hirayama, who failed to
convert.
It was the best chance of the second half, but nevertheless
it was Heracles Almelo were visibly running out of fuel by
now, just like it happened to Ajax against Inter on Wednesday.
Not the Heraclieden but the Ajacieden now won
most of the duels. In the first half hour Ajax were forced to
adjust to Heracles' play; now it was the other way
round. It was now Ajax who smelled blood, simply
because Heracles' first half fierceness was vanishing.
A second Ajax goal was becoming inevitable, and it
was in the net in the 82nd minute, very shortly after
the arrival of Angelos Charisteas, replacing a
hard-working but slightly unfortunate Markus Rosenberg.
Was it the first time the Greek striker touched the ball...?
Fact is that Charisteas turned, fired and hit the post,
after which Sunday 26 February 2006 became an absolutely
unforgettable day for 19 year-old Michael Timisela, who placed
his right boot against the rebouncing ball for the
game winner: 1-2 (82').
In the remaining minutes Heracles managed to create one more
dangerous moment in the Ajax goalmouth (Hirayama came close to
fumbling the ball across the goalline), but the
hosts' final offensive was nipped in the bud by
substitute Ryan Babel, who reacted adequately when
goalkeeper Martin Pieckenhagen couldn't get an Urby Emanuelson
shot under control. It seemed as if all of Babel's frustration
was in his diagonal screamer that slammed into the top corner:
1-3 (90+2').
Babel scored in stoppage time.
[Ajax.nl]
"The first half hour was for us," said Heracles coach Peter
Bosz. "We deserved the goal and a second one was in the air.
Our organization in the heart of defense was not good, though.
After Ajax's formation change we had problems."
Added Danny Blind: "What was decisive in this game was the
fact that we battled when we had to battle. We failed to do
that in the first half hour. Heracles were simply more
determined. They won all the duels. I can not understand how
that happened, because we knew they were going to play
that way. Heracles need the points. It's the way the
play."
It was eventually a good day for Ajax, who must have
been very pleased with the fact that NEC became the first team
to get beaten by RBC Roosendaal, whereas Groningen
and Feyenoord settled for a 1-1 draw, so that Ajax no
longer have the share the 4th slot with Groningen. Against
Sparta Rotterdam, next Sunday at the ArenA, the 100% score
against lowly Eredivisie opposition must remain intact. After
that, it's time for PSV and Inter. (MP)
GOALS
- 19' 1-0 Thijs Sluijter
- 45' 1-1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 82' 1-2 Michael Timisela
- 90' 1-3 Ryan Babel
Referee: Wiedemeijer
Yellow cards: Höcher, Reekers
(Heracles Almelo), Lindenbergh (Ajax)
Attendance: 8,500
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Timisela
(87. Boakye), Maduro, Vermaelen, Emanuelson; Sarpong (66.
Babel), Lindenbergh, Boukhari; Rosales, Huntelaar, Rosenberg
(80. Charisteas).
Heracles
Almelo line-up: Pieckenhagen; Jansen (88.
Tamerus), Hoogma, Reekers, Looms; Tanghe, Maas, Höcher
(64. De Vries); Nurmela, Hirayama, Sluijter.
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