0205.html

Cup adventure over for 'Younger than Young Ajax'

Excelsior - Young Ajax 4-2
Woudestein Stadium, Rotterdam
Wednesday, 05 February, 2003

A season and a half of spectacular Amstel Cup surprises by Ajax's second team rookies has come to an end. With only five Young Ajax players in the line-up, completed by six players from the A1 youth team, coach John van 't Schip's boys fought bravely and took an unlikely lead against Eredivisie side Excelsior, but had to bow their heads in the second half: 4-2.

Verdediger Mofokeng struggles with Excelsior player. [Photo: Gerard van Hees/Ajax.nl]

In a way, Young Ajax has become the victim of its own success. After last season's tremendous success (the reserves championship and a historic semi final slot in the Amstel Cup) players such as Stefano Seedorf, Wesley Sneijder, Maarten Stekelenburg and Nigel de Jong made the 'big jump' to the first squad. Several others (Obodai, Walker, Quansah) were deemed ready to move to Germinal Beerschot Antwerp, to play on the highest level in Belgium.

As a result, this year's Young Ajax squad consists of less than eleven players. Van 't Schip needs A1 players and Saturday amateurs every week. A great and very healthy development for the club, but one standing in the way of new Amstel Cup glory. Two months after the unlikely elimination of Eredivisie side Willem II, the fairy-tale is over.

There were exactly zero seconds of Ajax-1 experience in Young Ajax, and most players have played fewer games for Young Ajax than their opponents in the Eredivisie. So it showed, especially in the 'all-A1' defense, where GBA loanee Vermaelen made a nervous impression and left back Maduro had a nightmarish experience against right winger Koswal.

As Jamal Akachar beautfully headed home on a Krohn-Dehli corner kick as early as in the 5th minute, a new miracle seemed to be in the works. But Excelsior soon took over and was in the lead by half time. Sadly enough two dreadful errors in the Amsterdam defense allowed Excelsior to score. First, a Vermaelen black-out allowed El Hadrioui to steal the ball from his foot and level the score (17'). In the 38th minute, Maduro was painfully outplayed by Olfers, whose shot was poorly stopped by Robert Zwinkels, so that Cecilio Lopes could give the final push.

It was inevitable. There's nothing wrong with the skill and the combination play of the young Ajacieden. They lost the battle due to their lack of physical power and a hatful of elementary individual mistakes (and can anyone blame them?). Excelsior was the dominant, most professional and most dangerous side.

Given that simple fact, it was impressive to see how Young Ajax kept fighting. Minutes after Cecilio Lopes scored his high quality second second (finishing off a beautiful attack over the left flank), a Gerard Aafjes shot slammed against the cross-bar behind goalkeeper Malkowski, after which Young Ajax made an unexpected comeback into the game. A dangerous thru-pass could only be stopped by a hand-ball. Jussi Kujala converted the penalty (3-2), and Excelsior should of course have continued the game with ten players. Referee Van Egmond, however, kept the red card in his pocket. Referees re-writing the rules "in the spirit of the game" - it's one of the most annoying things about football.

It must be said that the equalizer was never close. In fact, Excelsior continued to show attractive offensive football, which was simply too much for this Young Ajax team. Substitute Brett Holman wrapped it up in the 78th minute, knocking the last remaining non-Eredivisie team out of this season's Amstel Cup.

"To us they are the champions!", yelled the 150 Ajax fans in the visitors section, and John van 't Schip't post-game comment had a similar bottom-line: "I am proud of the team (...) We have said goodbye to the Amstel Cup competition with dignity." (MP)

GOALS

05' 0-1 Jamal Akachar
17' 1-1 Mounir El Hamdaoui
38' 2-1 Cecilio Lopes
63' 3-1 Cecilio Lopes
72' 3-2 Jussi Kujala (penalty)
78' 4-2 Brett Holman

Referee: Van Egmond
Yellow cards: Sprockel, De Haan (Excelsior)
Attendance: 2,154

Young Ajax line-up: Zwinkels; Mofokeng (71. Tiendalli), Vermaelen, Rustenburg, Maduro; Van Moppes (78. Benson Erchiah), Aafjes, Kujala; De Ridder (58. Cameron), Akachar, Krohn-Dehli.

Excelsior line-up: Malkowski; Olfers, Sprockel, De Haan (78. Varkevisser), Bastos; Swerts, Mtiliga, El Hamdaoui (71. Holman); Koswal (80. Boussatta), Lopes, Pinas.