Some of you have raised a valid point that at 2-0 up Ajax shouldn't have gone over to the defensive. But at the same time it should be realized that the 2-1 came from being too attacking and having way more people up front for the free kick (including de Ligt I believe) than Ajax needed. That was the lifeline that got Tottenham back into the game. Without that Spurs were pretty much dead and buried. Once the 2-1 fell I could almost prophetically see it play out before me as if it had already happened: an agonizing 2-3 final score with Ajax missing several chances for more goals. I just had that feeling. I only started believing they might manage to keep it at 2-2 once they were deep into injury time, but my hopes were quickly dashed. In any case, a great CL campaign for Ajax, they've done Dutch football proud. Can't imagine how gutted the players must be feeling now.
And it always feels to me like Dutch teams are too fair. Any other team would have been dragging the life out of the game. Stalling, faking injuries, etc. Literally only Onana tried it on one goal kick. I’m glad we dont do it I guess..... but that would have made the difference today. Other teams from different countries would have wasted this game away.
Whatever titles they may win moving forward, be it the CL with another club in the future or whatever may be the case, this one will hurt for the rest of their lives. To do what they did, get in such a dominant lead and within touching distance of a final no club outside the Top 4 Leagues is likely to make again, and blow it not only in a single half, but at the literal last second of play... It's so bad, so cruel I wouldn't doubt if some of them will at some point wish they never even got this far in the first place.
Agreed. De Ligt and de Jong may go on to win the CL with the likes of Barcelona or some other team with a massive budget, but that surely won't feel nearly as special as if they'd somehow done so with a local (and when compared to the European giants, a massive underdog) team like Ajax. Combine that with the agony of blowing a 3-goal advantage in this fashion. So agonizing!
Agreed Spurs' first goal came when De Ligt was upfield on a freekick and get caught eventhough he did win the header. Spurs hadn't created anything for 145 minutes up to the point. Tadic going for goal about 2.5 minutes into injury time, when the corner flag may have been the prudent option. With the confidence he's been playing with I can't blame him. Gutted for you guys, in that scenario with 5 seconds before the 95 minutes are up and the ball in Spurs' half, my heart ached on that one.
Yes, 5 minutes of additional time. The last goal was accepted in 96th minute. Strange also. Referee warned van de Beek and goalkeeper. There is perspective with UEFA Nations League, EURO 2020, WC 2022. Another three chances. But on club level, no more chances. At least not close ones. Ajax created nice number of players for Tottenham: Mido, Vertonghen, Anita, Toby A. Interesting, LIverpool provided players for Barcelona: Coutinho, Mascherano. Relations with Tottenham are maybe too good. Hateboer, Ligt, Dijk, Vrij, Wijnaldum, Roon, Strootman, Vilhena, Beek, Jong, Depay, Kluivert - stronger NT potential. But, the bench isn't so wide. There is much more sadness in football than some joy. Even Brazil, who produced hundreds of great players was happy 5 times. They have deeper problems at Olympic Games. Netherlands creates talents, that don't evolve at all: Drenthe, van der Meyde, Huntelaar, van der Wiel, Anita. I hoped to see World Cup title in South Africa 2010. Netherlands had atmosphere just like at home: river Oranje, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Vereeniging, Pietermaritzburg...
I'm so sad that this shitclub is through. Now I still have to keep on my bucket list revenge on Totally Hotshits. I was yelling at the screen to Onana, when he prepared to kick the ball up front in the last minute..DON'T FVCKING DO THAT. PLAY IT TO FRENKIE. I had a bad memory flash about the same situation when I shouted at AZ goalie Timmer in the last two minutes of the semi final against Sporting Lisboa Donot kick it, pass it to .. He did kick it and the ball came back as quickly and from that Sporting scored the goal that put them through to the UEFA Cup final. Onana kicked it and yup there's the ball back and ...
It's actually a reasonable strategy. Everyone is thinking about a long kick up field. de Jong only has to go to the halfway line and rush back to take a short pass. If he is in trouble he can always pass back to the keeper.
It's up to Ginio Wijnaldum as a Feyenoord kid to do the honours and blast the Totally Hotshits to pieces.
I’m sure the boys are really distraught and who can blame them. Very harsh result. Saw us getting more and more disconnected from midfield and defense and Spurs took advantage. What hurts even more about this result is our “little” $ club reaches this stage just incredible based on the heavily lopsided financial reality. It’s going to be very difficult to get this far again unless real change takes place but we all know how that’s not going to happen. Co efficient ratings and this other bullshit makes no sense to me. UEFA sucks and the Final will be played by 2 teams not even Champion of the “mighty” EPL. All about the money. Gutted long time Ajax supporter. Oh the pain.
In Euro 88 we had a fair bit of luck too with that offside, deflected winning goal against Ireland. Without that probably wouldn't have made the semis even. But then again, all champions in competitive sports need some luck as well. Throughout the 90s and 2000s we had excellent player material but significant mentality issues (in-fighting and/or serious team cohesion issues in 1990, 1996 and 2002, penalty shootout losses in 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, etc). When we did finally get the mentality - and for the most part penalty shootout skills - up to scratch for 2010 and 2014, we no longer had quite the amazing material (at least when relative to the rest of the world) as in say 1988-1990 or 1998-2000. So yes, bad luck for us that there wasn't more overlap in that sense. And yes, in a way I'm relieved not to have witnessed the bad luck of the 1974 final and Rensenbrink's injury time shot against the post in the 1978 final!
As if losing this way isn't gut wrenching enough, I think the prospect of not being back in this position for a long, long time is the worst part. To know we'll have to wait another 20-25 years (if ever)...just brutal. The boys need to pick themselves up and get a result against Utrecht this weekend and then finish the job at De Graafschap a week from today.
Huge choke job by Ajax unfortunately. Would have been nice too see them in the finals against Liverpool. Reminds me of when Croatia lost to Turkey in euro 2008. Took me a long time to get over that choke job I imagine this will take a while to get over as well.
Busquets & Arthur on your tail 😬No room for error 😬And @GWijnaldum does this 😱🔥#UCL | @Mastercard pic.twitter.com/6xupMinDvC— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 7, 2019 Boring.
I expected Barcelona - Ajax final, after 3-0 in Barcelona. Who could expect such high victory of Liverpool. I expected maybe normal victory 1-0, 2-1, 3-2. Victory without the goal of Barcelona seemed unexpected. Same thing was with Ajax, any victory at home was expected. Liverpool seemed as boring club during last 2 decades, players selection, coaches, always happy with the 3,4 place in national league. Boring coaches like Houllier, Benitez, players like: Riise, Smicer, Titi Camara, Finnan, Carragher, Hyppia, Henchoz, Diouf, Biscan, Fowler, now Milner, Henderson, Trent, Oxlade, Sturridge, Firmino, Lallana, Robertson, Karius. Several great players: Hamann, Berger, Heskey, Owen, Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Mane, Salah, Allison. Too little for 25 years of history.
I slepped maybe 4 hours, watched the studio show. Experts tried to find the reasons, anything rational, but it was impossible. We can't say: bad day, bad luck, the next time, it will be better, destiny, fortuna, karma. Maybe with Neres, it would be different, too many competitions, tight championship with PSV...even the title in the Eredivisie won't brong some joy after this. Hoped to see domestic players, without millions of euros investment. I hope, that they won't vanish in some other clubs, like Anita, Enoh, Huntelaar, van der Meyde, van der Wiel, Maxwell, Pienaar. Hard to believe that they were bad, if they can play in Ajax on higher level. Hoping that this won't reflect negatively in the Netherlands NT. Always the same, coming up from ashes, stories about the talent, youngsters, this is third, or fourth important cycle.
The first goal of Tottenham, Ajax players couldn't use 5 chances to take the ball, some unusual air slide and the rest turned into 2-1. Before the second goal, Ajax had 9 chances to take the ball, goalkeeper had it, but it bounced back from his body. Third goal, also 9 chances to take the ball, we could see everything, ballet moves, Tekken ground slides. Even that chance of Vertonghen bar had also several chances to take the ball. Such things you don't see in normal broadcast. Only in slow motion. Lucas Moura is a great player, PSG could be sorry for selling him, but he isn't that great. Remembered when Ziyech and Tadić wanted to waste time during the corner, even that failed, the ball went over the line. Headers were without success, slide, foul, nothing. At least they should stop during 2-2, but they tried to score again, instead of keeping it. Onana could made some "lame" punch and aim his closest co-player before the third goal. Lets not forget the defeat in Europa League final. Obivously, something is wrong here.