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Ajax handed three points by Twente's Boschker

FC Twente's Boschker stumbled today, and 3 points fell out of his pocket. Zlatan Ibrahimovic gratefully picked them up and claimed them for his new club.

In a game most people would like to forget, Ajax were happy, and a bit lucky, to walk away with a 0-2 victory over FC Twente. Ajax were gifted the opening goal on a blundered pass from the Enschede goalkeeper, which Zlatan Ibrahimovic easily picked off and tucked into an empty net in the 19th minute.

After that, a persistent Twente attack was thwarted by a combination of bad weather (it rained constantly after the unlikely first Ajax goal) and at-times fantastic goalkeeping by Fred Grim. Ajax settled into a defensive shell for the rest of the match, counter-attacking in a most unconvincing fashion. Even when Ajax strikers found themselves one on one with Twente's last line of defense, they seemed unsure of themselves and looked for help from late-arriving midfielders to finish the attacks.

Although the Ajax defense seemed more organized and resilient than last season, thanks in part to an excellent effort from Cristian Chivu, the midfield was againt notable by its absence. Rafael van der Vaart seemed highly motivated but not terribly perceptive, flinging himself into reckless challenges and making Quixotic runs up the flanks in search of another goal to bookend his brilliant tally against Feyenoord last week.

A 76th minute substitution of Mido Hossam for Nikos Machlas infused the Amsterdammers with more vitality in attack, and the young Egyptian created a fine opportunity in the 83rd minute, taking on the Twente defenders and drawing an indisputable penalty (which the Enschede players disputed). However, substitute Richard Knopper's effort from the spot struck the crossbar, and Ajax had wasted their second penalty of the young season.

Finally, it was Zlatan, the lone source of creativity and adventure in the Ajax squad for most of the game, who put the points into safety for Ajax. He tantalized the Ajax supporters, who have come to expect so much from the young Swede, by twice heading to himself before flicking on 'flamengo' style to an onrushing Wamberto. And the on-form Brazilian made the most of the chance, turning the keeper expertly aside before rolling the ball once again into an untended net.

Despite a few moments of nervousness midway through the first half, Fred Grim deserves much of the credit for Ajax's shut-out defensive performance today. He made two lightning-quick reflex saves in the second half that you just don't expect from such an aged and beleaguered keeper.

The game was marred by a disturbance in and around the traveling Ajax supporters section, which seemed to reach its peak late in the first half, when a large spiked iron barricade was torn loose and could be seen teetering precariously among a group of standing fans. One plastic chair-bottom also appeared on the pitch near Boschker's goal.

Rowdy fan behaviour briefly interrupted play as the match drew to a close. As Grim prepared to take a goal kick in stoppage time, he was pelted with debris from the FC Twente stands. A glass bottle landed within ten feet of him, which Grim picked up and displayed to the match officials, but referee Wegereef did not seem concerned, and simply asked Grim to play on. One wonders if the KNVB will have such a cavalier response to the off-field action in Enschede today. (JM)

Co Adriaanse's comments after the match:

About the game: "Twente played well. They had a lot of ball possession, which was, by the way, our intention. For us, it was all about not giving away any chances, and we didn't. (...) We scored after a Boschker error. Zlatan ran on well, whereas many others would already have been on their way back. It forced Twente to play more opportunist in the second half, which provided us more space to play."

About Vierklau's injury: "Vierklau's injury was a major disappointment in the center of our defence. I mean, Yakubu (who took over Vierklau's position in defence, ed.) is some 20 centimetres shorter than Vierklau, but I'm very satisfied about him anyway."

About the missed penalty: "I was the one who assigned Knopper to take it. Shota was our man for penalties, but he's gone. Now, Knopper is number one and Chivu is number two."

About the 5-3-2 system, referred to as the 'Berlin System' (because it was first tested against AS Roma, in Berlin): "I will decide for each game which system we're gonna use. I don't necessarily have to revert to a system with wingers for home games, as Maxwell and Trabelsi can advance over the flanks. If everyone's fit, I have more options. I am very happy with the achievements made with this system. I mean: it's new and we have a few new players who had to get used to it."

About Johnny Heitinga's first performance in the starting line-up: "Johnny played a good game. De Witte was almost completely eliminated by him. However, his yellow card was rather stupid. We'll have to get that out of his play."

Final word on the game: "Sometimes you need a little bit of luck."

(Source of Adriaanse quotes: Ajax.nl)

GOALS

• 19'  0-1  Zlatan Ibrahimovic
• 87'  0-2  Wamberto

Referee: Wegereef
Yellow cards: Vierklau, Heitinga (Ajax), Van der Doelen (FC Twente)
Attendance: 13,500

Ajax line-up: Grim; Heitinga, Vierklau (45. Knopper), Bergdolmo, Chivu, Maxwell, Yakubu; Van der Vaart, Zlatan, Wamberto, Machlas (76. Mido).

FC Twente line-up: Boschker, Pothuizen (80. Kollmann), Van der Weerden (45. Hulshoff), Grujic, El Brazi, Van der Doelen, Van der Leegte, Booth (89. Cairo), Van der Laan, De Witte, Houwing.