Ajax gain ground with convincing win over Excelsior
| 4 (2) |
0 (0) |
Eredivisie
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Sunday, 02 Mar 2008
|
Sunday 02 March 2008 was one of those days that pretty much all the results in the Dutch Eredivisie were good for Ajax. The Amsterdammers themselves booked a rather business-like win over Excelsior (4-0). Meanwhile, PSV lost to Utrecht (3-1), Feyenoord to NEC (1-3) and Groningen to Heracles (1-2). Heerenveen had already lost on Saturday. Ajax are now six points behind PSV, and with PSV - Ajax on the agenda for next weekend, you could say that Ajax are back in the race. Sort of.
In all honesty: Ajax vs Excelsior was a very 'forgettable' game of football. Ajax did the business, without playing well or even shifting to the highest gear. Excelsior didn't seem to believe in a result and never really got stuck in. The crowd was tepid. No atmosphere. It was one of those typical 'Ajax versus small-timers' afternoons at the Amsterdam ArenA. It hardly is an exaggeration to say that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's two goals were the only noteworthy moments of the first half. The first was a well-aimed shot after a splendid pass from Siem de Jong (26'); the second a fine header on a good cross from George Ogararu (40'). 2-0 at half-time; nothing to get overly excited about.
Ajax' young Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen
continued his run of good form. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
But then, Cornelisse made it 2-1 to FC Utrecht in their home game against PSV, just before half-time – and Amsterdam started to believe that today could turn into a good day.
Ajax created more chances in the second than in the first, but they still failed to inspire their supporters – or themselves. Leonardo, who had replaced an utterly useless Kennedy at half-time, played on the right wing and had a number of entertaining moments. Siem de Jong played well. Jan Vertonghen was good. But still: Ajax vs Excelsior was a slow kickabout. The visitors from Rotterdam never managed a shot on goal. It was a very dull affair.
Urby Emanuelson, who surprisingly started as a left winger and didn't have a bad one, made it 3-0 by diagonally firing home from close range, after good work from Siem de Jong (who started in central midfield, in default of Kenneth Perez, who was in bed with the flu). Ajax's fourth goal was scored by Leonardo, who nicely tapped the ball into the far corner after good work on the left by Emanuelson (85'). Ajax's goals were well taken and of more than acceptable quality, which could not be said about the match as a whole.
Yet, ten or fifteen minutes before the end of the game, the ArenA crowd woke up and started to make some noise: FC Utrecht had secured their win by making it 3-1 against PSV. Almost at the same moment NEC had once again taken the lead at De Kuip (1-2). Fifteen minutes later Ajax were the undisputed 'winners of the weekend', after a match of football you would normally have forgotten about five minutes after the final whistle.
Substitute Leonardo scored the fourth for Ajax. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
A few interesting facts...
Ajax's Uruguayans, Bruno Silva and Luis Suárez, were suspended for one match due to accumulated yellow cards. Did anyone expect Albert Luque to get the nod from Adrie Koster? Guess what: he wasn't even on the bench; Ajax's biggest earner was not even in the squad of 18. Ismael Urzaiz, Ajax's nearly forgotten 'human battering ram', has apparently leapfrogged Luque in the pecking order... A rather humiliating statement for Luque.
Three of Ajax's most important players (Huntelaar, Heitinga and Gabri) started the game knowing that a yellow card would cost them next week's encounter with PSV in Eindhoven. They were at their best behaviour and did not get booked. As soon as the three points were secured Adrie Koster replaced Heitinga (with Samuel Kuffour) and Gabri (with Rasmus Lindgren).
Samuel Kuffour's appearance as a sub marked his official début for Ajax's first team. The Ghanaian defender made no mistakes and looked quite good during the 30 minutes he played, although he was the only Ajacied to be booked by referee Kuipers.
Samuel Kuffour made his official Ajax and played well,
but was the only Ajacied to get booked. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored his 25th and 26nd goals in 27 league appearance this season. An amazing achievement. Huntelaar himself reckons he netted 27 times. He can live with the fact that his free-kick against FC Twente, which took a decisive deflection off Edson Braafheid, went into the books as an own goal from the Twente defender. Against AZ, however, Demy de Zeeuw punched his header out of the goal behind the goal-line. The referee showed De Zeeuw the red card and gave Ajax a penalty, which Perez converted. "That was my goal, actually," Huntelaar reckons.
The unhappiest Ajacied on the day must have been poor Kennedy Bakircioglü, whom Koster favored over Dennis Rommedahl. The Swede struggled for 45 minutes. Nothing seemed to go right. Even his corner kicks were so dreadful that the ArenA crowd turned against him.
Finally: if Ajax beat PSV next week they are 100% back in business. Which means, with PSV – Ajax still one week away, they are – in a way – 100% back in business already. The title quest is not over just yet, especially because PSV play Tottenham Hotspur in London on Thursday evening. The return leg is on 12 March. In between those two UEFA Cup matches... Ajax visit Philips Stadium.
"This was a very good Sunday for us," Adrie Koster said after the game. "We have to beat PSV now. If we succeed we'll be back in the race."
It ain't over yet! (Menno Pot)
Goals:
- 26' 1-0 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 40' 2-0 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 55' 3-0 Urby Emanuelson
- 85' 4-0 Leonardo Vitor Santiago
Referee: Kuipers
Yellow Cards: Kuffour (Ajax), Bandjar (Excelsior)
Attendance: 49,313
Lineups:
- Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Ogararu, Heitinga (60. Kuffour), Vermaelen, Vertonghen; Gabri (72. Lindgren), De Jong, Davids; Kennedy (46. Leonardo), Huntelaar, Emanuelson.
- Excelsior line-up: Graafland; Bandjar (73. Altheer), Van Nieuwstadt, Van Steensel, Van Peppen; Luijckx, Demir, Piqué (60. Voskamp); Braber, Den Ouden, Korf.
Related Links:
