Two B’s at the start
Francesco Farioli – who called the new format of the Europa League a voyage of discovery – made starting places against Besiktas for Brian Brobbey and Youri Baas. Davy Klaassen saved a point as a substitute in Deventer last weekend, but was not eligible to play against Besiktas. Besiktas coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst surprised on the other hand by starting Joao Mario, Semih Kilıcsoy and Ciro Immobile on the bench.
Sfeeeeeeeer!
The Turkish away section was filled with 2,600 Besiktas supporters. They were all really looking forward to it. Singing and jumping under the closed roof of the Johan Cruijff Arena. This naturally led to excellent interaction with the Ajax players in the sold-out stadium. Enjoy bleating and whistling at each other. Have the highest say!
These are the evenings where we go well, especially if the result is good. A genuine pogo just before the end was inevitable. The stadium shook to its foundations. It produced images that we have not seen for a long time. In the stands we saw Alex Kroes laughing happily.
Light bulb karma
Ajax was five minutes into the game when Brobbey put his buddy Kenneth Taylor in front of the goal. The midfielder was a foot short of being decisive. Yet from the start we saw a fiercer and faster Ajax than a few days earlier in Deventer.
Kian Fitz-Jim opened the scoring after half an hour. A low cross from Taylor just missed reaching Bertrand Traoré, but the rebound was gratefully received by Fitz-Jim. The Ajax player had already been close to scoring a goal with a ball on the post, but now he could really cheer loudly.
So did fans. Just before Fritzie’s goal, the Turkish supporters happily waved lights on their mobile phones. Immediately after the 1-0 it was the Ajax players’ turn to wave back teasingly with their lights. Humor to laugh. Or as someone aptly put it on X: #Lampjeskarma!
Traore and Godts
Although the lead was justified, we saw that Ajax was not in a good position on the wings before half time. Mika Godts and especially Traoré were unhappy in their actions for a long time. Traoré only delivered his first good cross just before the break. Crafty with the outside on the left. Brobbey and Godts just couldn’t reach it. The other crosses would have resulted in scolding fathers on the sideline in an average under 8 team.
But yes, with Traoré you also know that he can do something special, such as serving Godts at 2-0, shortly after the break. The Burkinabe kept a good overview and handed the ball to the young Belgian on a silver platter. He did not hesitate and expertly outwitted goalkeeper Mert Günok. Ajax supporters once again teasingly waved lights, while Traoré shot at the post once again.
Taylor and Godts complete the party
The party was on when Taylor shot the third Ajax goal against the ropes. From the edge of sixteen he delivered a low slider that set the Johan Cruijff Arena on fire. The “Gio, take your shit with you,” was a logical consequence.
In any case, the joy was great. Or was it relief after the loss of points at Go Ahead Eagles? In any case, it was clear that Ajax was also going to add number seven after the previous six victories over Besiktas.
Did it get even crazier in the Johan Cruijff Arena? Oh, yes! Godts boosted his self-confidence by scoring his second and Ajax’s fourth of the evening on a pass from substitute Christian Rasmussen. What incredible luxury! Especially because Ajax never had any problems defensively against the Turkish top team.
Hopefully Ajax will take the good feeling into Sunday. Then the away match with RKC Waalwijk is on the program. The kick-off will be at 4.45 pm in the Mandemakers Stadium. The following week the trip to the Czech Republic follows for the away match against SK Slavia Prague.
Busy, busy, busy!
