Ajax humiliate rivals Feyenoord at De Kuip: 0-4
0 (0) - 4 (2)
Eredivisie
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Sunday, 22 October, 2006
De Kuip was a seething cauldron as 'The Classic' got
underway. Especially for Feyenoord fans, this game is a
season-defining event. So it's understandable that the home
side's loyal supporters were in full voice at kick-off. Victory
over their hated rivals would bring so much joy. But
anticipation quickly turned to agony as a remarkably superior
Ajax took this game by the throat and smothered a hapless
Feyenoord: 0-2 at half-time, 0-4 by the end, and it could
have been so much more...
The opening minutes of the game were nervous and chaotic, as
you'd expect. The difference in quality wasn't immediately
apparent. In fact, Feyenoord had the game's first genuine
scoring chance, as Ali Boussabon found himself face-to-face
with Stekelenburg. The Ajax keeper came out quickly and reduced
the angle, then saved well. He wouldn't have much more to do
for the next 80 minutes.
Huntelaar celebrates his opening goal with his teammates.
[Photo: Ajax.nl]
At the other end of the field, it did not take long for
a superbly organized Ajax side to begin imposing its will
on the game, and - a devastating blow for Feyenoord - the
Amsterdammers converted what was arguably their first
major scoring opportunity. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar led
the way, shrugging off his marker Karim Saïdi on a
Perez corner kick in the 12th minute to slam a powerful
header from close range past goalkeeper Henk Timmer. 'KJH'
has been struggling to find goals in recent weeks, so Ajax were
especially pleased to see their scoring ace convert such an
early chance.
Before the goal was scored, Feyenoord's defense had already
begun to look highly suspect, and they just kept getting
worse. And worse. In fact, if it weren't for some
shockingly poor finishing by Ajax, the Amsterdammers
easily could have had five or more goals by half-time.
This sums up the game: Ajax were majestic, both lovely and
deadly in every way except in finishing off the
goal-scoring opportunities they could not help but create.
Feyenoord were wretched, wobbly and creaky as an old bridge.
Ajax's second goal began, as many of the Amsterdammers' best
attacks did, with cunning play by Tom De Mul on the right side,
and ended with Huntelaar's baseball slide that swept a low
cross into the net. After the goal, cameras found Huntelaar's
hapless marker, Karim Saïdi, on the verge of tears,
as many Feyenoord supporters on the stands must have
started to fear for a serious, possibly historic drubbing.
One of the visitors' bestr: right winger Tom De Mul.
[Photo: Ajax.nl]
But any joy head coach Henk Ten Cate was feeling must
have been tempered by concern for Jaap Stam, who left the game
mid-way through the first half after getting tangled up with
former Ajax-man Angelos Charisteas. The herculean Ajax captain
was unable to put any weight on his left foot as he was helped
off the field and straight into the training room. He was
replaced by George Ogararu, and on another day, Ajax might have
been worried about their defense without Stam at the helm. But
defending was never a concern today. Feyenoord would not
genuinely threaten Stekelenburg's goal again until the 86th
minute, when a free kick, given away by Ajax's weakest player,
Gabri, finally forced a good save from the Ajax
keeper.
In between those two lonely chances, Ajax had at least ten
or twelve legitimate, 24-carat scoring opportunities.
And so in addition to Stam's injury, the other sobering thought
for Ajax must be how poorly they did in finishing those
chances. Huntelaar, Sneijder, Maduro, Emanuelson, Gabri... They
each found themselves with only Timmer to beat, and none of
them could do it. A superb Emanuelson strike from long range
bounced back from the cross-bar, whereas Wesley Sneijder
had the most spectacular gaffe of the afternoon, just before
halftime. Another magnificent run by De Mul drew Timmer out of
his goal, so that when De Mul crossed neatly on the ground,
Sneijder needed only to tap into an empty net from ten yards.
Instead, he went for power and balooned it over the
crossbar.
No doubt, Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman tried to light a fire
under his team at half-time, but it didn't work. Feyenoord
seemed to be sleep-walking as they took the kick-off, and Ajax
gratefully accepted the ball and charged straight through the
enormous open space where the home-side's defense should have
been. Less than five seconds after kickoff, and another
showdown with Henk Timmer led to another wasted chance for
Ajax, as De Mul's shot grazed the outside of the Feyenoord
goal. Still, even without scoring, the moment dispelled any
hope that Feyenoord had come out of half-time a changed
team.
Sneijder celebrates Perez' second goal, from the penalty
spot. [Photo: Ajax.nl]
The second half continued as pretty much a carbon-copy of
the first, with Ajax delighting their traveling fans with
superb football, superior in every way except in finishing.
Goals seemed inevitable, and indeed they were. First, a clumsy
attempt at tackle by a Feyenoord defender brought Huntelaar
down in the box and left referee Temmink no choice: penalty for
Ajax. Kenneth Perez finished calmly, 0-3, 50 minutes in, and
only twelve minutes later the excellent Dane scored again.
After a sliding, Timmer narrowly beat Huntelaar to a ball in
the penalty box. Perez was there to sweep the loose ball into
the unguarded net: 0-4, after a good hour.
As the game disintegrated, so did Feyenoord's composure. The
tackles became increasingly rash and vindictive. De Guzman was
booked and then immediately substituted by Koeman. Second-half
substitute Pierre van Hooydonk received a straight red for a
studs-up tackle from behind on Urby Emanuelson. Feyenoord,
already reeling, were quickly down to ten men. And in the 84th
minute, Pardo received two yellows in only a few minutes'
time. He was off after an amazingly rash challenge on
Gabri. And then there were nine. Thousands of Feyenoord fans
were already on their way home at that point, leaving tens of
thousands of fellow supporters behind in a state of total
desperation. Ajax's win at De Kuip, over what was probably one
of the weakest Feyenoord sides the Amsterdammers ever faced,
was a milestone: Ajax have now won more 'Rotterdam editions' of
the Dutch classic (18) than Feyenoord (17) since the start
of the Eredivisie - an amazing statistic.
As the latter stage of the second half ticked on, Ajax eased
up, seeming to recognize that the points were in the bag, and
safety and survival were now very real concerns. Referee
Temmink also saw no need to press the matter any further,
blowing his whistle a few seconds prior to 90 minutes, despite
considerable second-half stoppage time. An act of both mercy
and prudence by the referee, taking the Ajax players out of
harm's way and ending the deep suffering of the Feyenoord
faithful. It wasn't Ajax's largest win at De Kuip, but
it definitely should have been. It was, in every way, one
of Feyenoord's most lop-sided defeats to their rivals in
memory. (JM)
GOALS
- 12' 0-1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 38' 0-2 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
- 50' 0-3 Kenneth Perez (penalty)
- 62' 0-4 Kenneth Perez
Referee: Temmink
Yellow cards: Pardo, Saïdi, Drenthe,
Tiendalli, De Guzman, Hofs (Feyenoord), Emanuelson, Gabri
(Ajax)
Red Cards: Van Hooijdonk (Feyenoord, 66'),
Pardo (Feyenoord, 'double yellow', 85')
Attendance: 45,000
Ajax
line-up: Stekelenburg; Heitinga, Stam (25.
Ogararu), Grygera; Gabri, Maduro, Sneijder, Emanuelson; De Mul
(57. Rosales), Huntelaar, Perez (69. Vermaelen).
Feyenoord line-up: Timmer; Tiendalli,
Saïdi, Greene, Leonard (30. Drenthe); Buijs, De
Guzman (52. Hofs), Lucius, Pardo; Boussabon (46. Van
Hooijdonk), Charisteas.
Related links
