“Farce from A to Z,” the website Voetbal International (VI) played with the name of the vanquisher, i.e. the club AZ Alkmaar.
“A historic crushing defeat,” added Het Nieuwsblad. “AZ humiliated Ajax,” he added.
VI reminded that Alkmaar is an unpleasant opponent for the famous club from the metropolis. Ajax has not won nine duels in a row against him.
“Even this cup match was an embarrassment for Ajax from start to finish. It started in the 3rd minute,” described VI, mentioning the prominent role of the Czech man between the sticks of the Amsterdam team.
“Goalkeeper Vítězslav Jaroš misjudged Sven Mijnans’ shot twice, and then Kees Smit’s attempt,” the magazine described the actions of the Czech goalkeeper, who failed to save a single shot. The kicked ball was then sent into the net by Troy Parrott.
And Ajax was riding. He conceded two more goals before the break, in the second half Alkmaar, who played on the power play from the 66th minute after Owen Wijndal was sent off, doubled the score.
Another Czech footballer, Matěj Šín, played the last twelve minutes for the winners.
“I have no explanation for it,” Ajax coach Fred Grim assessed the debacle in a televised interview.
“The boys are very ashamed of this performance. We played really badly,” he fumed, promising that the club would refund the tickets of the fans who came to Alkmaar to cheer the team on.
The 24-year-old Jaroš, who is at the club on a one-year loan from Liverpool, started the season as number one, but in mid-October, after unsuccessful results, then-coach John Heitinga put him on the substitutes’ bench.
His successor, Grim, eventually returned Jaroš to the posts after two matches. The Czech goalkeeper started with a 0-2 loss to Benfica in the Champions League, but since then he has not lost until yesterday’s match with Alkmaar, recording six wins and one draw.
As a result, Ajax rose to at least third place in the league behind Feyenoord and clear leader Eindhoven.
Another Czech goalkeeper, Matěj Kovář, shines in the Eredivisie leader’s team. With his performances, he made sure that the club exercised an option on him at the beginning of this week and changed his loan from Leverkusen to a permanent transfer.
After coming to PSV, the 25-year-old Kovář became the clear number one of the team, he has so far caught 27 competitive matches and received a contract for four and a half years.
He was also in goal in the cup match with Den Bosch, which, unlike Ajax, the favorite managed and won 4:1.
Thanks to both Eidhoven and Kovářová, they are aiming to defend their title, they are already 13 points ahead of Feyenoord and are fighting for promotion to the knockout phase in the Champions League.
“We are extremely pleased that Matěj is a permanent part of PSV. In a short period of time, he has shown not only exceptional goalkeeping skills, but also that he fits our style of play perfectly,” said Eindhoven director Earnest Stewart.
“Matěj radiates calmness, he is strong in passing and knows how to play under pressure. In addition, he gets along very well as a person, he fits well into the squad and wants to get the most out of himself every day. That is why he is of great value to us now and in the future,” he added.
Kovář worked in Leverkusen from 2023 to 2025, where he transferred from Manchester United. At Bayer, he mainly played the role of a substitute, but he won the German title, the cup and the Supercup and reached the final of the Europa League with him.
Even before working in the Bundesliga, he spent a season on loan at Sparta Prague, which he helped to the first championship after nine years.
The native of Uherské Hradiště made 17 starts for the national team, with whom he will face off in March to qualify for the World Championship.
