AC Milan 'mission impossible' for depleted Ajax: 0-1
<img src="http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/02-03/assets/ajax.gif"> <img src="http://www.ajax-usa.com/teams/europe/assets/ac-milan-t.gif">
0 (0) - 1 (0)
Champions League, Group Stage
Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
Wednesday, 26 November, 2003
Ajax's fourth Champions League clash with AC Milan in eight months' time did not bring Ajax the long awaited win. In fact, the stumble (0-1) was never as 'logical' and inevitable as it was this time. Quite bluntly, it was a 'mission impossible' for an injury-battered, depleted Ajax squad. They did what they possibly could, but the absence of Van der Vaart, Grygera (suspended), Pienaar, Trabelsi, O'Brien and Sonck (injured) was too much for the young Amsterdam outfit. As the only real striker left in the Ajax squad (Zlatan Ibrahmovic) limped off the pitch injured in the 40th minute - and the great Andriy Shevchenko gave the Italians the lead shortly after the break, it became clear that AC Milan was (yet again) too high a hurdle. Ajax worked with passion, but was unable to create a single real scoring chance against the rock-solid Italian defense. The almost inevitable outcome: Ajax 0, AC Milan 1.
<img src="http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m03-04/assets/shevchenko-112603-anp.jpg">
Andriy Shevchenko sprints around Julien Escude and Johnny Heitinga. Caption. [Photo: ANP]
Coach Ronald Koeman announced it the day before the game: given the number of suspended and injured players Ajax was - for once - going to adjust its tactics to the opponent and play in a more defensive formation. The result was a 5-3-2 line-up, in which Yakubu played alongside Escudé, with Johnny Heitinga as the extra man in front of them. In midfield Tomás Galásek was assisted by Anthony Obodai, who made his Champions League debut three days after his first Eredivisie appearance. Offensively, Ajax relied on the creativity of Wesley Sneijder and Zlatan Ibrahimovic - and the pace of young Nicolae Mitea. With an average age of 22 years and 131 days it was the youngest-but-one team to ever start a Champions League match.
The three Milan games played this year brought Ajax a 0-0 draw and defeats by the respective scores of 3-2 and 1-0. On all three occasions Ajax would have deserved more. This was not the case in fixture number four. In spite of the fact that Ajax had a lot of possession and applied pressure in the second half, AC Milan was constantly in control of the game. Ajax had a nervous start. The Italians could have taken the lead as early as in the 6th minute, as Filippo Inzaghi suddenly found himself totally unmarked on the edge of the penalty box. His shot was aimed far too high, so that it hardly felt like an enormous scoring chance. But it was. In fact, a better one than Ajax would get all night.
A win was never in it for the Amsterdammers, especially after the substitution of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the only real striker on the team and also the only tall, physically strong offensive player available to Koeman. The Swede has been suffering from a persistent groin injury for several months now and played numerous games on painkillers. The injury manifested itself at the most unfortunate moment, so that Ajax had to play the entire second half with a 'false' central forward (Jari Litmanen), assisted by three hard-working and fast, but also tiny and light-weight wingers (Mitea, later Sikora and Wamberto).
<img src="http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m03-04/assets/zlatan-112603-ajaxnl.jpg">
Zlatan Ibrahimovic rushes past Laursen, but had to be
replaced before the half-time break. [Photo: Gerard van Hees/Ajax.nl]
Although it may have looked differently in the second half AC Milan was the better side throughout the game, in spite of the fact that their tactics were as negative and gray as always. The few tiny chances Milan created (such as a Pirlo thru-pass Inzaghi almost managed to push his toe against) were the most dangerous moments on the night.
Jari Litmanen, quite remarkably, had a dreadful game. He failed to choose position as a central forward and usually remained in midfield, which left Ajax's feather-light forward line (Wamberto and Sikora) all alone, amidst a multitude of physically superior defenders. Litmanen's passing was weaker than ever before: almost every pass was erratic. It explains why goalkeeper Dida only had to save one Ajax shot in 90 minutes: it came from the foot of Maxwell, in the 61st minute, as Milan had already taken a decisive lead. All other Ajax attempts, such as a Nigel de Jong header in the first half, went over the cross-bar.
AC Milan seemed to have come to Amsterdam for a point, but must have felt - just like the 50,000 spectators in the ArenA - that their chance to pocket the full three points was going to come. The inevitable happened seven minutes after the half-time break, as Cafu rushed forward over the left flank. His perfect cross was an inch too high for Abubakari Yakubu and landed perfectly on the chest of Andriy Shevchenko. The superb striker remained stone-cold in front of Bogdan Lobont: 0-1.
There was no other choice for Ajax than to attack. And so they did, passionately, but with too little force to worry the Milan defense, led in sovereign style by Paolo Maldini. The miracle Ajax was hoping for was never in sight, in spite of the fact that Nigel de Jong had a great game - and Anthony Obodai could be proud of his European debut. The Ghanese, by the way, sustained an injury early in the second half and had to be replaced. He will be out for an estimated two weeks - and will surely miss Sunday's clash with Feyenoord.
To make things even worse, bad news arrived from Vigo, where Celta had taken the lead against Club Brugge, the worst possible development for Ajax. A second announcement from Vigo, however, was the reason why Ajax - ultimately - could keep its head up high and remain optimistic. While the players were swapping shirts good tidings appeared on the score-board: Celta 1, Club Brugge 1. The Belgians equalized in stoppage time. Which means that Ajax will have everything in its own hand on 09 December in Bruges: a win will see the Amsterdammers through. If Celta doesn't win in Milan, even a draw will be enough.
"I want to compliment the team for keeping up with AC Milan for so long", said Koeman after the game. According to the Ajax coach the defeat was 'relatively easy to accept'. "Look at all the players we were missing. It was very hard for us. Of course we hoped that the ball would somehow fall into the right place for us. But that's not enough. Out of the four games we played against AC Milan this was the one in which we had the smallest chances (...) I can't blame anyone for anything tonight."
Just like everybody else at the ArenA, however, the Ajax coach remained optimistic. Koeman: "I am very happy with the result in Vigo. If Milan does its sportive duty and beats Vigo even a draw will see us through. I am disappointed with the result, but yet very happy that we still have everything in our own hands."
Meanwhile, the countdown to another top fixture has begun. Three days to prepare for the first 'Classic' of the season, in yet another sold-out Amsterdam ArenA. Van der Vaart and Grygera will most certainly be back for that game. Zlatan and Sonck are expected to make it also. Which is good news, as it is about time for Ajax to beat the arch-enemy in Amsterdam. Visits to Rotterdam have been succesful in recent years, but the last win in the Dutch capital was booked a remarkably long time ago: on 2 May 1999. (MP)
GOALS
52' 0-1 Andriy Shevchenko
Referee: Meier (Switzerland)
Yellow cards: Galásek, Yakubu (Ajax), Inzaghi (AC Milan)
Attendance: 50,210
Ajax line-up: Lobont; De Jong, Yakubu, Heitinga, Escudé, Maxwell; Obodai (54. Wamberto), Galásek, Sneijder; Ibrahimovic (40. Litmanen), Mitea (76. Sikora).
AC Milan line-up: Dida; Cafu, Costacurta, Laursen (46. Pancaro), Maldini; Gattuso, Kaka (76. Rui Costa), Pirlo, Seedorf; Inzaghi (71. Ambrosini), Shevchenko.
Other Group H result:
Celta de Vigo - Club Brugge 1-1
Group H Standings after Matchday 5:
AC Milan: 5-10 (3-1)
Ajax: 5-6 (5-5)
Celta de Vigo: 5-6 (5-5)
Club Brugge: 5-5 (3-5)