Pugnacious Ajax win spectacular 'Battle of Utrecht': 2-3
2 (0) - 3 (2)
Eredivisie
Galgenwaard Stadium, Utrecht
Sunday, 01 October, 2006
FC Utrecht vs Ajax had everything that can make a football
match exciting: passion, fighting spirit, rivalry, good
football, errors from players and the referee, a
few ugly fouls, cards, emotion on the stands, a hatful of
goals, a spectacular apotheosis and - last but not least -
a well deserved winner. It was only the second time in the last
eight seasons for Ajax to leave Galgenwaard Stadium with the
full three points (the other six times they lost). The
secret? The Amsterdammers, playing in a very
solid 4-4-2 formation for the
occasion, gave Utrecht a taste of their own medicine:
they were determined, pugnacious and resilient and stunned
Galgenwaard with a last-gasp winner: 2-3.
What a wonderful Sunday afternoon it was for the
Amsterdammers, especially when PSV dropped two points at
Heerenveen (0-0) and AZ allowed lowly ADO Den Haag to grab
their first point of the season (2-2). Those results
pushed Ajax to the top of the Eredivisie
table. It wasn't Ajax's first good performance of the
season, but never before did they look as mature and solid as
in Utrecht. This Ajax team would have beaten FC Copenhagen by a
lightyear, and would probably not have lost at Roda JC,
either. Ajax's 'Month without Huntelaar' (the striker
picked up an ankle injury in training and will be out for up to
four weeks) could not have had a better start.
John Heitinga has just
netted Ajax's second goal. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Huntelaar's absence was one of the reasons (but not the only
one) why head-coach Henk ten Cate reverted to a 4-4-2
formation in Utrecht, with Ryan Babel and Mauro Rosales as the
two forwards and a vacant left wing. Roger disappeared
from the starting eleven; Hedwiges Maduro returned. And, for
the first time, Ajax fielded four real defenders:
Heitinga, Stam, Grygera and Vermaelen. Utrecht head-coach Foeke
Booy took it as a compliment: "I guess it says something that
Ajax changed their formation because of the way
we play. They adjusted to us and they don't normally do
that."
Ajax did not only change their tactical formation, they
also managed to change their attitude. In the week before the
game 'someone' (?) put up a newspaper clipping in the
Ajax dressing room. It was an interview from De
Telegraaf in which Utrecht captain Gregoor van
Dijk stated that Utrecht were "not afraid of
Ajax". Was Van Dijk going to axe Wesley Sneijder in
the opening phase of the game, just to put him in his
place? "Who knows," answered Van Dijk, "and if I
don't do it somebody else will." Henk ten Cate added some
more fuel to the flames: "I am fed up with the old myth
that you can beat Ajax by simply being physical. It's
about time we stick up for ourselves over there."
The tactical changes, the Van Dijk interview and Ten
Cate's peptalk had the desired effect: Ajax were the superior
and simply more aggressive side in the first half of
the encounter. On top of that, they were fortunate
enough to take a very lead, on a free-kick, just
over 16 yards out and right in front of Michel Vorm's
goal. Wesley Sneijder tapped it to the man the Utrecht
defenders weren't paying attention to, namely Gabri. The
Spaniard's shot wasn't very impressive, but took a
deflection and trickled out of Vorm's reach and into the net:
0-1 (7').
Utrecht were close to equalizing eight minutes later,
but Maarten Stekelenburg saved well on Cedric van der
Gun's attempt from close range, on a low cross from
Fortuné. It was the only serious scoring opportunity the
hosts created in the first half, in which Sneijder, Gabri,
Emanuelson and Babel were outstanding. The
latter two had Ajax's best chances: Emanuelson's well
aimed shot from the edge of the penalty box (23') was
saved by Vorm with some difficulty, whereas Ryan
Babel had a face-to-face encounter with the Utrecht goalie
in the 34th minute. Instead of a low shot the Ajax
striker went for a frivolous chip, which went inches over the
cross-bar.
Just before half-time Ajax doubled the score, once
again from a free-kick just outside of the penalty
box. This time, Sneijder fired on goal, which
apparently was such a surprise to Michel Vorm that he
dropped the ball. John Heitinga rocketed the rebound
into the roof of the goal: 0-2 (45'). In the
remaining minute of added time Wesley Sneijder almost surprised
Vorm with a 'banana shot' from the right wing, which the
Utrecht goalie could only just turn around the near post. "We
could have scored three, maybe four goals in the first half,"
said Henk ten Cate.
Maarten Stekelenburg could do nothing about Gregoor van Dijk's
penalty. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
The three points seemed to be pocketed, especially when Ajax
continued to create chances in the opening phase of the second
half. Gabri, in particular, should have wrapped it all
up after another marvellous Ryan Babel run down the
left wing in the 64th minute. Babel evaded goalkeeper
Vorm and offered Gabri a chance he could hardly miss, but
instead of shooting first-time with his left, the
midfielder turned to his right foot and lifted the ball over
the cross-bar. An absolute sitter, but it didn't feel like
wasting it was going to get Ajax into trouble.
Utrecht were better organized and had more possession than in
the first half, but they didn't look like they were going to
score.
Referee Van Egmond, however, had a little surprise in store.
One minute after goalkeeper Vorm had pulled down Ryan Babel
inside the penalty area he whistled for a Jaap Stam
foul on Marc-Antoine Fortuné, committed outside of
the box. Much to everyone's surprise he pointed to
the penalty spot. It wasn't Van Egmond's first
questionable call. He should have shown Tim Cornelisse the
red card for brutally mowing down Urby Emanuelson in the 18th
minute and didn't notice a harsh Jaap Stam foul on
Fortuné. Utrecht vs Ajax was grim and unfriendly as
ever, and Van Egmond's wayward performance surely
didn't help. Over all, Ajax had more reasons to complain about
the refere than the home side.
Gregoor van Dijk brought Utrecht back into the game (80')
and, as you'd expect, hell broke loose. Utrecht put their
bajonets on. Van Dijk, in particular, seemed to get a
haze before his eyes: the Utrecht captain was red
carded for stamping Wesley Sneijder on the chest,
while he was lying on the ground - a disgusting and insane
foul. Two minutes later poor defending by Zdenek Grygera
allowed Marc-Antoine Fortuné to diagonally
fire under Stekelenburg to level the scorer: 2-2
(85'). Galgenwaard Stadium was on fire and - how bitter -
the perfectly sovereign visitors were about to let it
all slip through their fingers.
Ajax celebrate the Perez goal that stunned Utrecht...
[Photo: Ajax.nl]
But the Utrecht vs Ajax encounter of 01 October 2006
would get the climax it deserved. Henk ten Cate replaced the
victim of Gregoor van Dijk's insanity, Wesley Sneijder, with
Kenneth Perez, who - less than one minute later -
found himself face-to-face with Michel Vorm and stylishly
lifted the ball over the Utrecht goalkeeper and into the top
corner. Galgenwaard Stadium was stunned and the only noise
remaining was the ecstatic roar of a
sold-out Ajax end, where 1,200 Ajax supporters
were going absolutely mental: 2-3 (87'). What an
apotheosis and (despite the inevitable ugliness of Utrecht
vs Ajax) what a totally fantastic game of football.
"This was an excellent win against a side that's very
strong at home and has a lot of duel power," said Henk ten
Cate. "This edition of Utrecht vs Ajax was a true battle, but
the football was of a pretty good level as well. We proved that
you won't beat us by simply giving us hell."
Once Again: Utrecht vs Ajax was not Ajax's first good
performance of the season. But it was the first game in which
Ajax really showed that they're making progress
and that this season's Ajax can win games that last
season's Ajax would have lost. The Amsterdammers are the
new number one in the Dutch Eredivisie for the time
being - and for the first time since 16 May
2004. (MP)
GOALS
- 07' 0-1 'Gabri' García de la
Torre
- 45' 0-2 John Heitinga
- 80' 1-2 Gregoor van Dijk (penalty)
- 85' 2-2 Marc-Antoine Fortuné
- 87' 2-3 Kenneth Perez
Referee: Van Egmond
Yellow cards: Cornelisse, Braafheid, Van
Dijk (FC Utrecht), Sneijder, Stam, Stekelenburg (Ajax)
Red card: Van Dijk (FC Utrecht, 84')
Attendance: 23,000
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Heitinga,
Stam, Grygera, Vermaelen; Gabri, Maduro, Sneijder (86. Perez),
Emanuelson; Rosales (73. Rosenberg), Babel (90+1.
Lindenbergh).
FC Utrecht line-up: Vorm; Cornelisse,
Dickoh, Broerse (62. Kruys), Braafheid; Caluwé (75.
Rossini), Van Dijk, Somers (62. De Jong); Van der Gun,
Fortuné, Kopteff.
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