Play-off 'Classics' lie ahead after win at RKC: 2-4
2 (1) - 4
(2)
Eredivisie
Mandemakers Stadium, Waalwijk
Sunday, 16 April, 2006
One of Ajax's poorest and most embarrassing Eredivisie
campaigns in recent history has reached its conclusion: RKC vs
Ajax was the 34th league game. By winning it (2-4) the
Amsterdammers finished 4th. That would have been
unacceptably low in any previous season,
but this year everything is different: Ajax have
qualified for the play-offs between the numbers 2, 3, 4
and 5 of the league and get the chance to wash
away the pain of the 34-game nightmare, by
actually pulling into the final preliminary round of the
Champions League. Which won't be easy, though, as the
first play-off opponents are... Feyenoord!
There are not too many reasons to be overly optimistic: Ajax
have played dreadful football for most of the season, they lost
no less than 10 league games, didn't grab a single point
against Feyenoord and would not have beaten any of the
teams in the play-offs on aggregate. The only reason for
moderate optimism is the availability of a number of
players who have been absent for a while. In
Waalwijk, Urby Emanuelson (as a starter) and Steven Pienaar
(as a 'sub') returned to action. Wesley Sneijder and
Hatem Trabelsi are doutbful, but close to a return, whereas
Juanfran has now served his suspension and will be
eligible again on Thursday, when Feyenoord come
to the ArenA.
Ryan Babel started on the left
wing. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
On the other hand: Ajax (wearing next
season's black and red away kits for the occasion) lost
two players due to injuries in Waalwijk. Markus Rosenberg
limped off the pitch after only 12 minutes. The Swede, who
started as Ajax's 'number 10', picked up a knock on the
calf and was replaced with Nourdin Boukhari. Goalkeeper
Maarten Stekelenburg also sustained a calf injury, so that
Hans Vonk was between the posts in the second half.
Stekelenburg was replaced mainly out of
precaution. Rosenberg, however, is a serious 'question
mark' for Thursday.
In many ironic ways, Ajax finished the
'regular' Eredivisie in style. That is: they
were flabbergastingly weak and uninspired in the opening
phase (in spite of the game's obvious importance),
slightly improved after having conceded a goal, but
were slow and tepid over 90 minutes. The only very
untypical thing about this game was the result: a
comfortable win in an away game, over an
opponent that's not even a relegation
candidate... This has been a very rare
thing this season. Ajax booked only two road wins against
teams that are higher on the table than RKC
(12th).
Ajax's start at sunny Mandemakers Stadium was typically
poor, as if the team wished to underscore the words that Danny
Blind has repeated so frequently this season: it appears
that this team can only show passion when they concede a goal
or otherwise meet with adversity. Striker Hans van de Haar gave
Ajax a serious warning after only two minutes (he failed
face-to-face with Stekelenburg), but Ajax didn't take the
warning to heart. After 17 minutes of apathy, Anthony
Lurling 'stole' the ball from John Heitinga by pushing him
in the back (a foul, actually, for which the referee should
have given Ajax a free-kick), then cut to the center and calmly
slotted home: 1-0 (17').
Meanwhile, Utrecht were 1-0 up against Willem II, whereas
Twente vs Groningen was still 0-0. Only a defeat in Waalwijk
and wins from both Utrecht and Groningen could knock
Ajax out of the top five... This was not a promising
start. If Groningen would score, the 'worst case
scenario' would be looming...
Ajax's play-off qualification, however, was never
seriously in danger. By half-time the
Amsterdammers had turned the game around. In the 26th
minute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar tapped the ball to an onstorming
John Heitinga, who equalized with a well-aimed, low shot from
the edge of the box (26'). In the 43rd minute a moment of
amazing stupidity from Swiss RKC defender Stephan Keller cost
the hosts the game. Keller very obviously intercepted a Rosales
cross with his hand, apparently confident that
referee Van Hulten wouldn't notice. But he did, so
that Keller got to take an early shower with
a 'double yellow' in his pocket, while Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar made it 1-2 to Ajax from the penalty spot
(44').
Huntelaar netted
another two and finished the 'regular' Eredivisie
season with no less than 33 goals. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
1-2 up against an injury-battered opponent (ten
players out!) that was now down to ten men and
didn't really need a win anyway... It
was all wrapped up, especially when
Nourdin Boukhari fired Ajax's beautiful third into
the net after a fine individual run (50') and Willem
II tortured Utrecht by scoring twice (1-3), early in
the second half.
The remainder of the second half...? Oh, whatever. Totally
unimportant. Hardly anything noteworthy
happened, except the return of Steven Pienaar and a
late goal at each end. Goalkeeper Rob van Dijk was unable
to hold on to Maduro's 87th minute shot, after which John
Heitinga missed the first rebound and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
converted the second: 1-3. Young RKC substitute Tim Peters
scored his first Eredivisie goal a couple of
minutes later: nice dribble, good shot, 2-4. It would have
been nice if Huntelaar had netted another one, as in
that case he would have finished the season with 17 goals
for Heerenveen and 17 for Ajax. Now, his final score is 33,
which makes him the Eredivisie's top
goalscorer by far.
"Everything's open again," said a relieved Danny Blind,
looking forward to the upcoming Feyenoord games. "Everything's
possible. There are two legs, so a really good or a really bad
day can be decisive. What we must do now is leave the bad
things behind and take the good things with us to Thursday. My
team can do that."
Added Hedwiges Maduro: "Thursday at 20:15, that's when
it will all start. Two great games lie ahead,
that's a sure thing. I'm looking forward to
it." (MP)
GOALS
- 18' 1-0 Anthony Lurling
- 26' 1-1 John Heitinga
- 44' 1-2 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (penalty)
- 50' 1-3 Nourdin Boukhari
- 87' 1-4 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 90' 2-4 Tim Peters
Referee: Van Hulten
Yellow cards: Keller (RKC Waalwijk),
Boakye, Vermaelen (Ajax)
Red card: Keller (RKC Waalwijk, 'double
yellow', 43')
Attendance: 7,400
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg (46. Vonk);
Boakye, Heitinga, Vermaelen, Emanuelson (73. Pienaar);
Galásek, Rosenberg (12. Boukhari), Maduro; Rosales,
Huntelaar, Babel.
RKC Waalwijk line-up: R. van
Dijk; Mulder (79. Donk), Bakens, Keller, Van Haaren; Van
Diemen, Mathijssen, D. van Dijk (72. Peters); Zuiverloon, Van
de Haar, Lurling (61. Barto).
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