Unstable Ajax drop points again
Tuesday 03 February 2009
Ajax are firmly adrift after they
dropped two points at home against Heracles on the back
of two defeats in the previous matches.
The visitors from Almelo had a
0-2 lead for almost an hour but two goals of Ajax within
3 minutes denied them the first away win of the season.
Ajax were unfortunate that referee
Pol van Boekel wrongly disallowed Suarez' winning goal
for offside in the last minute of added time.
The draw mean AZ Alkmaar can increase
their lead to 11 points if they beat Roda JC at home
on Wednesday.
For Ajax it might turn out to be
the fifth season of great investments that does not
bring the league title.
Coach Marco van Basten had good
hope that he would be able to turn things around but
as it seems now the former Holland boss can not get
Ajax to gel either.
The Amsterdammers play well at
times, but they never manage to do so for a series of
games, like AZ can.
Luis Suarez had to great chances
to provide his team with an easy night in the first
ten minutes of the game but he failed twice.
In the 11th minute Rick van den
Bergh gave Ajax a first warning by hitting the post,
but it didn't wake up the home team as he was allowed
to try again a minute later.
This tile he didn't fail: 0-1.
As was the case with Heerenveen's
goal on Saturday and Groningen's goal a week earlier
Holland keeper Maarten Stekelenburg did not go free
on the goal.
He could not be blamed however
for Heracles' second goal.
Forward Vojtech Schulmeister reacted
quickly to a ball that was headed on by Mark Fledderus
and beat Jan Vertonghen to it to double the score: 0-2.
But even the second goal was not
a signal for Ajax to get going.
Only when Miralem Sulejmani pulled
one back did the home team realise they had to step
it up a gear.
They were rewarded a penalty when
Siem de Jong was brought down and when Suarez converted
in the 72nd minute three points seemed to stay in Amsterdam
after all.
Yet Ajax did not get any further
than a disallowed goal and must now try to not fall
into the next crisis.
Score
Goals
|
0-1 |
R. van den Bergh 12' |
|
0-2 |
V. Schulmeister 31' |
| M. Sulejmani 70' |
1-2 |
|
L. Suárez 72' (Penalty)
|
2-2 |
|
Cards
| |
|
Ymmi Boakye
26' |
| G. van
der Wiel 41' |
|
|
| |
|
K. Quansah 66'
|
Lineups
| M. Stekelenburg |
|
|
M. Pieckenhagen |
|
| V. Anita |
61' J. Sarpong |
|
R. van den Bergh |
|
| U. Emanuelson |
40' S. de Jong |
|
V. Schulmeister |
|
| R. Wielaert |
|
|
Ymmi Boakye |
|
| R. Schilder |
|
|
R. de Vries |
|
| M. Sulejmani |
|
|
M. Looms |
|
| D. Cvitanich |
76' Leonardo |
|
M. Fledderus |
85' T. Breukers |
| L. Suárez |
|
|
K. Quansah |
|
| J. Vertonghen |
|
|
J. Hakola |
68' P. John |
| Gabri |
|
|
D. Douglas |
73' W. Overtoom |
| G. van der Wiel |
|
|
B. Maertens |
|
|
