Football Internationalreporter Geert-Jan Jakobs looked around in amazement at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Sunday afternoon. Ajax threatened to take another blow in the home match against FC Twente, but turned a 0-1 deficit in the second half into a 2-1 victory and thus did excellent business in the battle for fifth place. The supporters were ‘overjoyed’ with the victory and Jakobs finds that ‘remarkable’ to say the least.
Ajax obviously had to put some things right seven days after the historic defeat in De Klassieker against Feyenoord (6-0). But after the first 45 minutes, the supporters seemed to have to take into account a new disappointment. FC Twente was lord and master in the first half and went to the break with a 0-1 lead thanks to a nice header from Ricky Wolfswinkel. But after the second 45 minutes, the Twente lead had been erased and Ajax had a 2-1 victory on the scoreboard. The final whistle, after a nerve-wracking final phase, was received with loud cheers by the Amsterdam audience.
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“It was as if the clock had been turned back fifteen years, that championship match against Twente. As if they had won it. Everyone was overjoyed that they won against Twente,” this is what Jacobs’ surprise sounds like Tour of the Eredivisie on the VI website. The reporter finds the outpouring among the Ajax crowd ‘remarkable’. “You continue to be amazed by Ajax this season. If you saw the first half… The weather was so bad. It just didn’t make any sense at all. After the break they go back to 4-3-3, they finally start playing logical football and then things work out for a while. In the end, Twente could have equalized. They win because of a very cheaply given penalty.”
Devyne Rensch seemed to be on a hopeless mission, but was swept off his feet by Anass Salah-Eddine. Referee Serdar Gözübüyük initially saw no foul, but after VAR intervention he decided to point to the spot. Steven Bergwijn did not miss the perfect opportunity to give Ajax the lead and sent FC Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall to the wrong corner. Jakobs thought it was, as is clear above, a ‘cheap’ penalty and does not think it is strong that Gözübüyük allowed himself to be ‘overruled’ by the VAR. “If Gözübüyük himself had blown the whistle, then it is different than the VAR finding that this was a reason to intervene. I think that’s all such nonsense. It was also a stupid foul by Salah-Eddine, who fell badly. But the VAR has to intervene… Ajax won and yes, people were very happy with that.”
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