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Ajax lose twice at Amsterdam Tournament
Saturday 09 August 2008
Ajax have followed the example
of Feyenoord - last
week - by losing both matches at their own Amsterdam
Tournament.
On Friday a terrific start against
Arsenal - a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes - was not enough
to secure a victory or even a draw, and last night Inter
Milan proved slightly stronger as the side of Jose Mourinho
managed a 1-0 win.
Ajax-Arsenal 2-3
Two magnificent goals before the break - by Luis Suarez
and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - were not enough to secure
a victory for Marco van Basten's men.
The Londoners scored three after
the break.
Emmanuel Adebayor put two on his
bill and in-between Nicklas Bendtner had one as well:
2-3.
Both Suarez' and Huntelaar's goals
were from the extra special category, but with these
two goals Ajax had shot all their bolt.
And it wasn't that Ajax were the
only team creating anything in the first half: goal
keeper Maarten Stekelenburg had to act twice when that
man Adebayor sneaked through the Ajax defense.
But what Ade did not manage in
the first half he did in the second.
First the man from Togo headed
home an Emmanuel Eboué cross, then Bendtner put
the teams level after which a magnificent Arsenal attack
resulted in Adebayor's second.
Ajax-Internazionale 0-1
An early goal by Adriano - serviced by Muntari - was
enough for Inter on Saturday to get a win over Ajax.
But what that defeat was worth
is hard to say as Marco van Basten fielded a second
choice team.
He did not want to burden his players
two nights in a row and started with nine new players
compared to the Arsenal game.
It was a great opportunity for
young talents such as Gregory van der Wiel and Toby
Alderweireld to show their qualities against the likes
of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adriano though.
The tournament - like last year
- was won by Arsenal.
Manager Arsene Wenger also fielded
a second choice team to get a 1-1 draw against Seville.
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