Ajax beat PSV (3-1) and lift Johan Cruyff Shield
3 (1) - 1 (0)
Johan Cruyff Shield
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Sunday, 13 August, 2006
As has become quite common, the traditional opening to the Dutch season was to be an Ajax vs PSV match, for the Johan Cruyff Schaal (the Dutch Super Cup, if you wish). After their excellent midweek win over FC København in the first of two Champions League qualifiers, Ajax could be expected to come into this match with some confidence. However, coach Henk ten Cate made a number of changes to the team - either enforced, such as Huntelaar through suspension, or tactically, such as Ogararu at right back instead of Heitinga. This was definitely a changed team from the one which started in Copenhagen. In came Rosenberg, Babel, Ogararu and Schilder; out were Huntelaar, Perez, Heitinga and Maduro.
Kenneth Perez scored what turned out ot be the winning goal. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Ajax made a very confident start to the game, tackling crisply, passing well and getting forward at every opportunity, with Ryan Babel in particular looking very impressive. It was no surprise when Ajax took the lead after seven minutes. Babel on the left hand edge of the box lifted the ball over the PSV defence, to Gabri at the edge of the 6-yard box: his low shot (or cross...?) trundled past PSV goalkeeper Oscar Moens to Rosales, who somehow got between two PSV defenders to force the ball over the line and into the empty net: 1-0. A great start from Ajax and one at this stage that was thoroughly deserved.
Indeed, for the first fifteen minutes the only team in this match was Ajax, as the PSV line-up failed to hold on the ball for any great length of time, mainly due to the spirited tackling of a wound-up Ajax team. At this stage PSV began to exert themselves in midfield and had one half-decent scoring opportunity when Stekelenburg comfortably saved a Vennegoor of Hesselink header.
In the latter 20 minutes of the first half, Ajax got to take a series of direct free kicks, that Sneijder got on target but were easily saved by Moens. The remainder of the first half then became bogged down in a battle for midfield supremacy with neither team creating any worthwhile scoring opportunities. Ajax went into the half-time break a goal up - and they deserved it. Henk ten Cate must have been reasonably happy with the first half performance, especially considering the changes made to the team.
Impressive in the first half: Ryan Babel. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
A couple of half time substitutions (Heitinga and Maduro on for Ogararu and Schilder) saw Ajax re-emerge with a different line-up to the one that ended the first half and within four minutes of the re-start PSV had equalized. After their second straight corner, Stekelenburg was forced into making a save on a header from Mika Väyrynen, who was poorly marked when the cross came in. Unfortunately for Stekelenburg, he could only punch the ball to an unmarked Cocu, who slammed the ball past the helpless goalkeeper to level the score.
The game then became bogged down in the midfield once again with neither keeper having much in the way of saves. This all changed in the 68th minute when Kenneth Perez replaced his fellow Scandinavian, Markus Rosenberg. Within a minute Perez had put Ajax ahead with what was his very first ball contact: after a good save from a thundering Stam shot, Perez reached the rebound first by sheer will of effort, and fired the ball home: 2-1.
Stam lifts the Johan Cruyff Shield. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Twelve minutes later Wesley Sneijder made sure the Johan Cruyff Shield would remain at the Amsterdam ArenA with a superb individual goal. Sneijder intercepted the ball on the left flank, took it in and rocketed a superb 25-yard shot past the despairing Moens and into the top right corner of the net: 3-1, and 'game over'.
Apart from a clash of heads involving Rosales and Salcido with four minutes to go (Rosales required treatment), neither team looked like scoring another goal. However, the head clash incident did once again highlight the inconsistency of the Dutch referees and in particular René Temmink. Rosales was on the ground, but the referee played the 'advantage' (?) and allowed PSV to press forward. Their attack was broken down and the ball played forward by Ajax to Babel on the left, just inside his own half. With only one defender in front of him and Ajax players streaming forward, the referee now decided to stop play to allow treatment, although Ajax were now in a great goal scoring opportunity.
The incident didn't have any impact on the scoreline. F or the second year in a row Ajax start the season with the winning of the Cruyff Shield. Ajax will surely hope that the 'Cruyff Shield curse' (the runners-up for this trophy going on to win the Eredivisie...) will not strike again. A pleasing win over last season's Dutch champions cannot be scoffed at. More importantly, it doesn't seem like this triumph will be a false dawn, like last season. Admittedly, Henk ten Cate still has not finalized his best team, but it is obvious that progress is being made. In this game Ajax looked particularly comfortable for periods. Ten Cate, it appears, has brought freshness to the set up around the ArenA, with players responding as a team and a feeling of togetherness not seen around the ArenA for a few seasons.
A bright new dawn awaits - well here is hoping. (Gordon Paterson)
GOALS
- 07' 1-0 Mauro Rosales
- 49' 1-1 Phillip Cocu
- 69' 2-1 Kenneth Perez
- 82' 3-1 Wesley Sneijder
Referee: Temmink
Yellow cards: Maduro (Ajax), Simons, Cocu (PSV)
Attendance: 35,000
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Ogararu (46. Heitinga), Stam, Vermaelen, Emanuelson; Gabri, Sneijder, Schilder (46. Maduro); Rosales, Rosenberg (69. Perez), Babel.
PSV line-up: Moens; Lamey, Alex, Simons, Salcido; Väyrynen (69. Feher), Aissati (82. Lee), Cocu (79. Addo); Farfan, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Koné.
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