April 1990
Ajax… Fifteen Years Ago
With the World Cup in Italy coming up, the Dutch Eredivisie
will end a little earlier than usual. April 1990 will,
normally, be the decisive month. Will it be PSV again…?
Or will Ajax finally get to lift the shield for the first time
in five years? Or will the Dutch champion of 1990 remain
unknown until the very last match day of the season, in the
first week of May?
April Fools' Day could be the day of what the Germans call
the Vorentscheidung, the 'pre-decision'. PSV travel to
the over-achieving newcomers to the Eredivisie, Vitesse, who
seem on their way to UEFA Cup qualification. For Ajax, the
'Classic' in Rotterdam is on the agenda. Feyenoord are having a
disastrous season and are currently 13th on the table. But the
Classic is always the Classic: more than 42,000 people come to
De Kuip and see how Feyenoord almost take the lead in the first
half, as a shot by former Ajacied Arnold Scholten hits the
post.
It is a poor Classic, that's for sure. Probably one of the
poorest ever. At half-time Beenhakker replaces Wim Jonk with
Dennis Bergkamp. A very fortunate substitution: only 40 seconds
into the second half Jan Wouters' thru-pass rips Feyenoord's
defense apart and there goes Bergkamp, on his way to Joop
Hiele. He attempts to chip the ball over the onstorming
goalkeeper, who manages to get his hand behind it. The rebound
is a piece of cake for Bergkamp: 0-1. It is the final score.
Back in the dressing room the Ajacieden hear that PSV also won
their game (0-2), so that PSV are still two points ahead.
On Tuesday 03 April, however, Ajax will finally
play the game they still have in hand. At home, in De
Meer, against Haarlem, 18th and almost certain to get
relegated.
Aerial duel in a packed De Kuip: Stefan Pettersson versus Ruud
Heus. [Photo: Voetbal International]
The day after the 'Classic' the KNVB disciplinary committee
comes to a final verdict in the 'Jan Wouters case' (the Ajax
captain hit Volendam's Alex Pastoor in the face with his elbow
on 11 March): Wouters suspension will remain intact, in
spite of Ajax's appeal. He will be banned for no less than five
of the remaining seven league games, starting with the one
against Haarlem.
It's a beautiful evening in Amsterdam on April 3rd. Wim
Jonk, who can play as a 'number 10' but also as a 'number 4',
plays alongside Peter Larsson in defense, replacing Jan
Wouters. Dennis Bergkamp returns to the team as the 'shadow
striker' behind Stefan Pettersson. Ajax look slow and rather
tired against the bottom side of the league, but Pettersson's
goal just before half-time breaks the visitors' resistance.
After the break it's over in no-time: Bergkamp scores in the
47th and 51st minutes, Richard Witschge fires home seven
minutes later: 4-0. Ron Willems, the third 'number 10' in the
Ajax squad, is brought on as a sub and also notches his
goal: 5-0 is the final score. Another memorable moment: the
return of defender Sonny Silooy, who is brought on as a sub
after almost eight months of injury trouble.
PSV have the better goal differential, but Ajax now have the
exact same number of points: 40 out of 28 games. Six more games
to go… It's been a long time since the race for the
Eredivisie championship was this exciting…
The Classic of April 1990: Aron Winter and Peter Larsson
put Regi Blinker through the wringer.
Sunday, April 8th. Another tough away game. Groningen are
not as good as they were last season, but are still an opponent
to take seriously. Beenhakker changes his team on various
positions: a lightly injured Peter Larsson is replaced with
Marciano Vink. Richard Witschge starts on the bench; Frank de
Boer surprisingly replaces him at left midfield. The game makes
clear that Ajax (in spite of their whopping 5-0 over Haarlem)
don't exactly score easily this season. The defense is
unusually solid, though: once again a single goal (by Marciano
Vink, eight minutes into the second half) proves enough for the
win. The sudden roar from the section of travelling Ajax
supporters after the final whistle tells the rest of the story:
PSV dropped a point in Volendam: 0-0! Ajax are tops! For
the very first time since June 1985! The road is clear! The
shield is at the horizon!
PSV increase the pressure two days later: they play their
home game against RKC and win easily: 4-0. Ajax are second
again, but only for the time being. A one point deficit, with a
game in hand. The red and white will have to keep winning
now...
Championship fever is about in Amsterdam: the home game
against BVV Den Bosch, on Easter Monday 16 April, sells out to
the very last seat. 20,500 people at De Meer see Ajax take the
pitch with Ronald de Boer wearing the #9 jersey, due to Stefan
Pettersson's minor injury. Ajax do the business in great style:
Dennis Bergkamp makes it 1-0 (7'), Aron Winter doubles the
score and three minutes later Bergkamp makes it three. He's had
a tough season and was as inconsistent as the rest of the team,
but seems unstoppable now: five goals in the last four games.
Winter nods Ajax's fourth against the net just before
half-time: 4-0 after 45 minutes! The second half is a
formality and not very entertaining, until Johnny van 't
Schip rockets home for Ajax's stunning fifth. He almost never
scores, but if he scores… For 'dessert' Aron
Winter scores his third of the day: 6-0. What a result! PSV
also won (a hard-fought 1-0 over Utrecht), but who cares? Ajax
are in the driver's seat. PSV have 45 points out of 31 games,
Ajax 44 out of 30. Is there a nice way to celebrate the club's
90th anniversary, on April 18th...?
Stefan Pettersson protects the ball in the thriller against
Roda, 29 April 1990.
Four more games to go… Saturday evening, 21 April.
Everyone with an Ajax heart jumps up from his seat during
Studio Sport, watching PSV getting hammered by Fortuna
Sittard: 4-1. Tomorrow, in Tilburg at Willem II, Ajax can
leapfrog them by a point while still having a game in
hand! Can it still go wrong now…? Willem II's answer to
that question, the next day in Tilburg, is 'yes, it can!': Guus
van de Borgt scores after ten minutes. Ajax tense up. This
young, fickle and incosistent team will remain the 'dark horse'
until the last day. They are not in the position to take any
game for granted. Aron Winter equalizes from Ajax's first real
chance of the game (41'), but that's it: 1-1 is the final
score. Ajax are outraged because referee Ignace van Swieten
blows the final whistle just when Winter has a free passage to
goalkeeper Jansen… In spite of the draw, Ajax jump to
the top of the table: Ajax 31-45, PSV 32-45.
Two days later. The last weeks of the Eredivisie are like a
feverish dream. Den Haag at home. A re-scheduled January
fixture. De Meer is sold out once again. Only three minutes are
played when Dennis Bergkamp comes face to face with goalkeeper
De Jongh. The latter saves, but punches the ball to John van 't
Schip, who's formidable long lob ends up in the back of the
net: 1-0. De Meer erupts. It's a nerve-wracking evening,
as Den Haag create several scoring chances. Ajax seem to
suffer from stagefright and are no longer capable of
playing a smooth game. But they carry the two points across the
finish line. 1-0. Ajax 32-47, PSV 32-45. Almost there now!
Sunday 29 April… Will this be the day? If Ajax beat
Roda in De Meer and PSV do not beat Feyenoord in
Rotterdam, the championship will be a fact. It's a beautiful,
sunny day and captain Jan Wouters returns. It feels like
summer. Ajax take the pitch, knowing that a KNVB delegation is
on the stands. The shield is already in De Meer, just in case.
Champagne is in the fridge. Flowers. Leidseplein is prepared
for the party. Everything's ready.
But isn't there an old saying about 'the last
stretch'…? Ajax seem nervous in the opening phase
of the game and the 20,500 at De Meer are terror-stricken
in the 11th minute as Dennis Bergkamp's erratic backpass from
midfield gives John van Loen a free passage. The tall striker
slips past Stanley Menzo and taps home: 0-1. You can hear a pin
drop in De Meer. Ajax have the wind-up. Frank de Boer,
Bergkamp, Witschge, Roy… Talented lads, no doubt, but an
inexperienced lot altogether...
Team and crowd straighten up in the second half. Ajax
must score, because Wim Kieft has given PSV the
lead in De Kuip. In De Meer, Ron Willems replaces Dennis
Bergkamp, who had a complete off-day. Ajax attack and attack
and attack. Three Roda players are booked. Feyenoord equalize
against PSV, but PSV can still win. Ajax struggle. Beenhakker
brings Wim Jonk for Frank de Boer. All or nothing now. There
are shots on goal. A few real chances. But it's
hard… Very hard. And there's always the danger of
counter-attack. Roda break out in the 79th minute. Richard
Witschge defends well, but then passes back to Stanley
Menzo… Too soft - and there is Eric van de Luer: 0-2.
Eleven minutes before the end. This is terrible. If PSV
win in Rotterdam (and they probably will) a win will be enough
for them next week, because of their
superior goal-differential...
Eleven minutes to go. All Ajax can do now is attack
desperately and - even more so - hope that Feyenoord will hold
on to the 1-1 score over there. Five minutes left to play and
finally: a good attack through the
middle allows Wim Jonk to shoot and…
score! Goalkeeper Bolesta is beaten. 1-2... De Meer is
trembling with adrenaline. How many more minutes? Four, three,
maybe a bit of extra time. Roda don't even try to
cross the middle line in the last phase, as Ajax pound on their
defense. Ajax football? Skill? Who cares about that now? Ajax
pump high balls into the funnel that is the penalty box.
Everyone storms forward. Roda attempt to clear… What a
scrimmage, Pettersson taps it back and there is Ron Willems,
hammering home from close range. It's in! It's in! 2-2! Ajax
have a point! And Feyenoord vs PSV is 1-1… What a
relief. What a nerve-wracking afternoon… What a
climax.
One more week of tension and nervous nail-biting. Sunday 06
May is the day. The last game of the season. NEC vs Ajax in
Nijmegen… One point will be enough... (MP)
Next month:
- The climax… NEC vs Ajax
- Oranje: preparing for the World Cup
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