In a carefree atmosphere Ajax thought it would play for a victory over Go Ahead Eagles on Saturday. But just like PSV, the team from Amsterdam also stumbled over their own long-suffering at the start of a very difficult month: 1-1.
AZ new frontrunner
Earlier tonight, AZ already won 1-4 against FC Groningen, while PSV lost 3-0 against Cambuur. That means that AZ is the new leader, Ajax is now in second place and PSV is in third place.
To keep the mood up a bit, the supporters of Ajax started waving the lights on their phones cheerfully after the break, leading to a kind of fairytale light show in the stadium.
It told everything about the atmosphere in the Johan Cruijff Arena at that time, somewhere between bored and carefree. But fifteen minutes before time it was suddenly equal in Amsterdam, when Icelander Willum Willumsson equalized from one of the few Deventer counters: 1-1.
Immediately the atmosphere in the stadium changed completely. Grumpy and powerlessness reigned, the final phase hardly yielded any chances – and with a flute concert, the team of trainer Alfred Schreuder left the field. Not Ajax, but the surprising AZ can call itself the new leader in the Eredivisie.
Because for a long time the team from Amsterdam thought they could play their way to a carefree, business-like victory, but again it did not win against Go Ahead Eagles. Last season ‘Kowet’ turned out to be by no means a simple snack, on the contrary, at the time resulting in a draw (0-0 at home) and a defeat (2-1 in Deventer) for the team from Amsterdam.
Leading the game
Where PSV started the so tough month of October with a disgrace in Leeuwarden (3-0), the lead was up for grabs for Ajax. But before the break Ajax had a hard time against Go Ahead Eagles, looking for pace and rhythm against a well-organized opponent.
Although Ajax was the dominant team, the dominance barely led to many great opportunities for a long time. The home side lacked surprise, dynamism and automatism to really embarrass the opponent, although Devyne Rensch and Brian Brobbey were close to the opening goal.
That goal came just before half-time. A long attack reached Dušan Tadić, who passed the ball cleverly and low. ‘Mister 1-0’ Davy Klaassen tapped the ball in the way he can, coming handy for his man and thus again of decisive value for Ajax.
Routing didn’t pay off
Klaassen was one of the players who also emphatically had something to prove on Saturday evening, after a series of reserve innings. Trainer Alfred Schreuder decided to change his basic team in a number of places, looking ahead towards the very tough month of October. In addition to Klaassen, Brobbey, Lucas Ocampos and Florian Grillitsch also received a basic place.
They didn’t exactly impress. Grillitsch showed himself to be a stylish midfielder, Ocampos showed more drift than swagger and Brobbey accidentally dragged himself into the confined spaces. After the break, the game picture hardly changed: the game went on slowly, while the audience was half bored waiting for the decision.
It didn’t fall, in fact, on the other side it was suddenly equal after 76 minutes. Willumsson slid in a low cross from Finn Stokkers from a difficult angle, to the delight of the branch: 1-1.
The final phase offered Tadic a great chance, but keeper Jeffrey de Lange knocked the ball out of the corner. After that, panic and despair reigned above all. Three days before the decisive Champions League group match against Napoli, Ajax is a team without momentum and confidence.
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