Oscar Gloukh was supposed to start on the bench, but played the entire match against Qarabag FK and even became Man of the Match. The little playmaker spoke about his special match with Ajax Life. Ajax eventually managed to win the Champions League match with Qarabag FK 2-4. Gloukh scored twice for the Amsterdam team.
Rayane Bounida was supposed to kick off, but arrived late during the day. Fred Grim punished the young Belgian by putting him on the bench. For that reason, Gloukh was given a starting place at Ajax. The interim coach is not dissatisfied with the Israeli’s performance. On the contrary, with a view to the Classic, Grim wanted to give the playmaker some rest.
Grim had clearly explained his choices to the players. “The trainer spoke to me about this, because we have another important match on Sunday,” says Gloukh. ‘But I’m glad I got the chance in the end because the Champions League is exciting. The fact that I scored two goals is great. I want to continue like this. Individually, but also as a team. I’m happy for the team.’
With the victory over Qarabag FK, Ajax has finally gotten rid of zero points in the Champions League. ‘It’s a great feeling to get the first points on this big stage. We want to continue that. Important competitions await again soon. If we play like this, I think we can win every game.”
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Grim has now led Ajax to three consecutive victories. The interim coach previously spoke about how ‘experience of success’ would help his team. ‘The latest victories give confidence. Now we played with some new players. That went well, also because the atmosphere in the team is good. This is how we can achieve success,” Gloukh believes.
Grim opted for a young starting eleven in Baku. Aaron Bouwman, Sean Steur and Jorthy Mokio were there from the kick-off. As a result, Ajax played with a very young team in the Champions League. Did Gloukh still have to help his teammates in any way?
‘The most important thing was to give them confidence. They are good players. I don’t have to tell them what to do. After all, I am still young myself. They did well. We controlled the match and they played an important role in that. It’s good that all the boys get to play. Then you see that we can win, regardless of who plays,” Gloukh said.
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This victory gives Gloukh confidence for the future. The trophy for Man of the Match will also have a nice place in his house. ‘It’s a memory for life. Great! I would like to thank the team, because without them this would not have been possible. These were my first goals for Ajax in the Champions League, but hopefully not my last. I’m looking forward to future matches.’
Gloukh has played inconsistently in his first 22 games for the Amsterdam club. How does he look back on that? ‘I missed the preparation with the team. That made the beginning more difficult. Still, I tried to take every opportunity to win and keep my place in the team. I hope to keep this up. Then I’m talking about scoring goals, providing assists and helping the team get points. Did you see the best Oscar against FK Qarabag? I hope it keeps getting better.’
