Huntelaar nets four as Ajax pound De Graafschap: 1-8
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1 (0) - 8
(2)
Eredivisie
De Vijverberg Stadium, Doetinchem
Sunday, 19 August, 2007
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De Graafschap 1, Ajax 8. Welcome to the Eredivisie of
2007-2008!
What a result to start with, after Wednesday's disastrous
Champions League qualifier against Slavia Prague, and a rather
uneven pre-season period. That, the departure of Wesley
Sneijder, Ryan Babel, Tom De Mul and Kenneth Perez and
the somewhat uncertain start to the Ajax careers of regular
first team starters Jurgen Colin, Kennedy
Bakirçioglü and Dennis Rommedahl had made many in
the Ajax support pessimistic before the Eredivisie campaign had
even started. Ajax needed a good win in their league
opener.
More than for anyone else, it was a wonderful day for
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who returned to his home soil (the eastern
district known as the Achterhoek) after one of the
more painful weeks of his career: he missed a penalty against
Slavia and was subsequently dropped from the Oranje
squad by Holland boss Marco van Basten, who did not call
Huntelaar up for the upcoming friendly against Switzerland. In
Doetinchem, only a miles from his village of birth (Drempt), he
scored four goals against the club he once played for. His
third of the day was also his 100th in the Dutch league.
Suarez' partnership with
Huntelaar was prolific. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
Ajax boss Henk ten Cate must have been delighted with the
sudden wonderful chemistry between Huntelaar and newcomer Luis
Suárez. The Uruguayan forward had a massive influence on
the outcome of the game against the self-proclaimed 'Super
Farmers', as Ajax overpowered their hosts with a
remarkable 1-8 victory. What was even more remarkable was that
this scoreline equaled the score in Ajax's highest ever away
victory: also against De Graafschap, recorded on 03 May 1998.
This match also saw the return of Klaas Jan Huntelaar to the
stomping ground where he had nine appearances for the club, on
loan from PSV, but failed to find the net.
Ajax started the match with one change from the team that
had started against Slavia on Wednesday, and it was a very
surprising change indeed: Dennis Rommedahl was on the bench, as
Robbert Schilder got the nod as Ajax's left midfielder.
In the first 30 minutes, despite having 65% of the
possession, Ajax didn' t create any clear-cut chances, apart
from a looping Huntelaar header. It was the same pattern as
many of the games played so far this season. De Graafschap were
sometimes threatening in this phase and it definitely did not
look like Ajax were going to score eight goals. That is: until
Luis Suárez grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck
and proved that he could be a great buy for the Amsterdammers.
In the 36th minute, from a Kennedy corner which was headed
clear, the ball landed at the feet of Suárez on the
right hand side of the box. Twisting and turning past De
Graafschap defender Schuurman, Suárez dragged the ball
to the goal line where he hit a deft cross to the head of the
lurking Huntelaar, who powered his header into the net from the
edge of the six-yard box: 0-1 (35'). The relief on the face of
Huntelaar was evident as he ran towards to the equally ecstatic
Ajax support. This was the break Ajax had been waiting for and
they now took full control of the game. Even more importantly,
they started converting chances into goals... at last.
The Amsterdammers doubled their lead just before the
half-time break. From an Emanuelson run across midfield, Luis
Suárez collected the ball on the left hand side. Taking
three touches with the right foot, he swiftly passed to
Huntelaar halfway inside the De Graafschap penalty box and ran
on into the area, where Huntelaar (despite being closely marked
by two defenders) played a deft little pass into
Suárez's path. The Uruguayan first touched the ball with
his left, before hitting a superb right-footed shot off the
inside of the far post: 0-2 (43'). Luis Suárez's first
Ajax goal was a superbly worked one, for sure.
Ajax headed in to the dressing room two goals up at half
time, now fully in control of the game. The start of the second
45 also marked the appearance of Hedwiges Maduro, replacing the
unconvincing Robbert Schilder. Maduro's talent is beyond
dispute, but he has developed into Ajax's 'problem child' in
recent seasons. Perhaps Ajax fans will remember 19 August 2007
as the day of his return to form. Maduro was to score the next
two goals for Ajax, as they began to stamp their mark all over
this game. Receiving a pass from Heitinga on the left hand
side, Suárez ran towards the penalty box, taking two
defenders with him. Spotting Maduro charging into the box
behind him, Suárez played a lovely ball onto the feet of
Maduro, who took one touch before expertly side footing the
ball past goalkeeper Jim van Fessem and into the net: 0-3
(54').
Maduro scored twice on the day.
[Photo: Ajax.nl]
The Ajax support was not to wait long for the next goal,
which duly arrived in the 59th minute. Once again,
Suárez was heavily involved. After a nice passing
movement outside the box, the ball took a fortunate deflection
into the path of Suárez, who was lurking on the penalty
spot. Dragging the ball towards the right side of the box,
Suárez turned brilliantly and sent a lovely little cross
to the far side of the six-yard box, where Maduro rose
unchallenged to send the ball into the net for his second goal
of the game - and Ajax's fourth.
Two minutes later and Ajax were further ahead. Defender Van
Peppen attempted to bring the ball down on his chest on the
right side of the penalty box, only for Kennedy
Bakirçioglü to dispossess him on his blind side.
The Swede ran unchallenged to the right side of the six-yard
box where he powered a shot low into the left hand side of the
goal: 0-5, precisely on the hour, and Ajax nearly grabbed a
sixth in the 65th minute, when John Heitinga fired from 20
yards out. His shot crashed off the bar and over the goal,
after Van Fessem got his fingertips to it.
In the 69th minute Ajax made a substitution which was to pay
instant dividends: Laurent Delorge made his official Ajax
début, replacing Thomas Vermaelen. After some great
one-touch passing from Gabri and Kennedy, Delorge's first touch
of the ball was a cross that landed on the head of Huntelaar
for Ajax's sixth (70').
Minutes later, De Graafschap were to get their consolation
goal when Donny de Groot beat Jaap Stam to a ball on the
six-yard box and hammered past Maarten Stekelenburg.
With just over one more minute left to play, the score on
the boards was 1-6 to Ajax. A major triumph already, but Luis
Suárez was to make his final mark on the game, and it
was one causing much chatter amongst the Ajax support. Maduro's
pass to Huntelaar was nicely flicked on to the running
Suárez, who took the past ball past the keeper before
crashing down to the grass, apparently with no contact made.
Pieter Vink became the second referee in five days' time to
award Suárez a penalty for what seemed to be a dive...
The man to step forward was... Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. "I wanted
him to take it, for the sake of his confidence," Henk ten Cate
would later explain. Good choice. Huntelaar made no mistake:
1-7 (89').
Three goals for Huntelaar, but he wasn't done just yet. In
the very last minute of the game, Van Peppen allowed the ball
to bounce over his head, where the waiting Rommedahl
lobbed it to Huntelaar at the far post. His header just crept
over the line. After Huntelaars goal, the TV cameras picked out
the beaming face of Klaas' younger brother in the crowd and it
must be said: he is the spitting image of the Ajax center
forward.
This was a win not even the most fervent of supporter could
have imagined. Ajax struggled for 30 minutes, then played very
well for 60, and as the saying goes: you can only play against
the opposition put in front of you. Of course: there is a more
than fair chance that Ajax will not play a weaker side than the
Superboeren this season, but the Ajax players deserve
a compliment for bouncing back after the midweek disaster and
at last getting their shooting boots back on. Luis
Suárez, for one, looks like a great purchase, although
the referees will probably be reluctant to point to the spot
next time he goes down. Huntelaar looked like the Klaas of old,
finding space and freedom in the box, but whether he will get
these chances against better organized teams is another thing.
For now, Ajax are where they want to be after 34 matches: at
the top of the Dutch Eredivisie. (Gordon Paterson)
GOALS
- 35' 0-1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 43' 0-2 Luis Suárez
- 54' 0-3 Hedwiges Maduro
- 59' 0-4 Hedwiges Maduro
- 60' 0-5 Kennedy Bakirçioglü
- 70' 0-6 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 72' 1-6 Donny de Groot
- 89' 1-7 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (penalty)
- 90' 1-8 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Referee: Vink
Yellow cards: Schuurman (De Graafschap),
Gabri (Ajax)
Attendance: 11,000
Ajax line-up: Stekelenburg; Colin, Stam,
Vermaelen (69. Delorge), Emanuelson (73. Rommedahl); Gabri,
Heitinga, Schilder (46. Maduro); Kennedy, Huntelaar,
Suárez.
De Graafschap line-up: Van Fessem;
Schuurman, Keller, Volmer, Van Peppen; Johnson (66. Meijer),
Hese (76. Robbemond), Schöne, Vidarsson; Powel,
Tarvajärvi (66. De Groot).
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