March 1990
Ajax… Fifteen Years Ago
The neck-and-neck race continues… On 04 March 1990
Ajax travel to Waalwijk for the away game at RKC, knowing that
PSV are at home against Den Haag and will probably not lose
points. Ronald de Boer quite surprisingly plays from the start,
while his brother Frank is benched. Sjaak Storm is still in
goal. Young Marciano Vink seems to have conquered a permanent
slot in the team.
The visitors end of tiny little Olympia sports ground is
packed with travelling Ajax supporters and they can celebrate
their team's first goal after 35 minutes: a beautiful one-two
with Stefan Pettersson gives Marciano Vink a free passage for
his first goal in Ajax-1. Ajax play very well indeed. John van
't Schip and Jan Wouters score goals in the second half: 0-3.
PSV, meanwhile, are destroying Den Haag in Eindhoven: 9-2. The
one point deficit remains intact. PSV 24-33, Ajax 23-32.
De Meer is almost completely sold-out for the home game
against Volendam on Sunday 11 March. 17,700 spectators have
bought a ticket. They know that Ajax may jump to the top of the
Eredivisie any weekend, but they also know that it won't be
this week, due to PSV's 0-4 win at Sparta on Saturday.
Beenhakker does not change his winning team as Ajax start with
confidence and determination. But Ajax's inconsistency
continues to amaze everyone: just when they seem pretty much
unstoppable, they drop points unexpectedly. It's happened
numerous times this season and it happens again. Beenhakker
brings on Wim Jonk, and later Dennis Bergkamp, but Ajax can't
find the opening in Volendam's well-organized defense: 0-0. How
frustrating.
Ruud Hesp under attack by Marciano Vink. The Fortuna
goalkeeper was
beaten only once at De Meer, 25 March 1990. [Photo:
Voetbal International]
The 1989-1990 season is moving towards a spectacular finale.
PSV beat Ajax in Eindhoven, Ajax beat PSV in Amsterdam. PSV now
have 35 points, Ajax 33 - but a game in hand. Is there a nicer
moment for the third confrontation between the two rivals in
the semi-final of the KNVB Cup? Wednesday 14 March is the date,
Philips Stadium the venue. A 'ticket to De Kuip' is at
stake.
The game marks the return of Stanley Menzo, after a number
of weeks of injury trouble and poor form, and also of Mark
Verkuyl, who's been injured since December and keeps Frank de
Boer benched. Ajax are the better team in the first half, but
Jan Wouters' free-kick lands on the cross-bar. Ajax finally
take the lead in the 59th minute (a header by Johnny
van 't Schip - can you believe it?), but the goal is wiped out
less than a minute later, as an error in the Ajax defense
allows Czech international Joszef Chovanec to fire home: 1-1. A
spectacular diagonal strike by right fullback Jerry de Jong
even gives PSV the lead in the 78th minute: 2-1.
Ajax battle in the last minutes of the game with Dennis
Bergkamp and Ronald de Boer as extra forwards. Referee Mario
van de Ende is just about to blow his whistle for the last time
as Van 't Schip's cross is poorly cleared and Bergkamp suddenly
has an unmarked shooting chance from the edge of the box. He
hammers home via the inside of the post: 2-2. Ajax and PSV just
won't let each other escape this season…
Jan Wouters once again hits the woodwork in extra time, but
penalties will have to force the decision. Hans van Breukelen,
an expert at 'psychological warfare', kicks a fuss when Ajax
choose for the goal with the travelling Ajax fans behind it.
Coincidence or not: both Wim Kieft (PSV) and Stefan Pettersson
(Ajax) are poorly concentrated after that and miss from the
spot. Even the penalty shoot-out is tight: Flemming Povlsen
scores, but so does Ronald de Boer. Ivan Nielsen scores, but so
does Peter Larsson. Stan Valckx scores… and Danny Blind
sees his attempt saved, allowing Joszef Chovanec to score the
winner. Ajax are out.
There's no time to mourn. The quest for the Eredivisie
championship continues and PSV once again offer Ajax the chance
to 'virtually' go tops by drawing 1-1 with FC Twente on
Saturday 17 March. The supporters can feel it coming -
and yes, indeed: Ajax also drop a point the next day at lowly
Utrecht. 0-0. The only noteworthy thing about the dull fixture
is the fact that Beenhakker has once again opted for a
different 'number 10': Ronald de Boer out, Dennis Bergkamp
in.
That week the disciplinary committee of the KNVB comes to an
unusual, but very justifiable verdict: Ajax captain Jan Wouters
is handed a suspension of no less than seven games for an
absolutely scandalous 'elbow' in the face of Volendam's Alex
Pastoor during the 11 March fixture at De Meer. The knock-out
punch (Pastoor was carried off unconscious) went unnoticed at
the time, but the TV footage proves Wouters' guilt. A
disgusting act of violence.
PSV travel to Maastricht on Saturday 24 March, where they
book a hard-fought 0-1 win at MVV. The next day Ajax are at
home to another Limburg outfit: Fortuna Sittard. The
Amsterdammers (it starts getting boring…) also
book a very difficult 1-0 win, thanks to an early goal by Bryan
Roy. Fortuna are dangerous in the last minutes, but fail to
score.
On Monday morning Ajax decide to appeal against Jan Wouters'
suspension. The club are not denying his guilt, but feel that a
suspension of seven matches is an unusually sever penalty.
Pending the case the Ajax captain will be available
to coach Leo Beenhakker. A dirty little trick from Ajax, is the
common opinion in Rotterdam. By appealing against the verdict
just after the Fortuna Sittard game, the game for which
Wouters will be available pending the inquiry is... Feyenoord
away.
On 28 March Jan Wouters and Richard Witschge (his
second cap!) are the only two Ajacieden to make the trip to the
Soviet Union for a friendly with the Dutch national
team. Holland lose (2-1), but the game will probably be
remembered because of the absolutely hideous foul of Soviet
defender Gorlukovich on Twente's Marcel Peeper, who makes his
début for Holland. The midfielder has to be stretchered
off with a compound leg fracture...
Another month has gone by - and remarkably enough the
situation on the table is still exactly the same as it was on
01 February: PSV (27 games, 38 points) are two points ahead,
but Ajax (26 games, 36 points) can join them by winning the
game they have in hand. Only eight games left to play, of which
seven in the month of April. The climax is near. It's
nerve-wrackingly tight and more exciting than ever. April
Fool's Day of 1990 is one to look forward to, as PSV travel to
the league's surprising #4 (Vitesse) while Ajax play the second
'Classic' of the season, at De Kuip in Rotterdam…
(MP)
Next month:
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