So if Feyenoord wins the Cup... it seems like we would be in position for Europa League qualifiers. Not horrible considering everything that has happened.
Finally, something to cheer about as Ajax finally decide to move to a 4-3-3 and attack the goal. Two second half goals cancel out the van Wolfswinkel header from mid-way in the first half. van't Schip decided at half time that enough was enough and pushed Taylor up to 10 and Hato over to LB. That was the spark the club needed, and they put pressure on Twente. Taylor is MOTM for me with his lofted free kick that Brobbey made sure of. VAR was kind to Ajax and Rensch was judged to be fouled right at the end line for a Bergwijn PK. Ajax now have four pretty weak clubs remaining on the schedule with Excelsior, Vollendam, Almere City and Vitesse coming up. I hope van't Schip learned something from this game. Player Ratings: Rulli (6) - made some decent saves but had three really bad kicks that fortunately were not converted into chances Rensch (6.5) - decent game for the RB Sutalo (6.5)- played well with some good solid clearances and his passing was accurate Kaplan (6) - other than not covering van Wolfswinkel on the Twente goal, he defended well Hato (6.5) - Cal Ripken streak finally ends when he was subbed off in the 2nd half with a muscle complaint but was effective at LB in the 2nd half Taylor (7.5) - solid match the whole way through with some punishing runs and good passes Mannswerk (6) - decent enough van den Boomen (5.5) - only played the first half and rather ineffective Godts (6) - worked hard all match long Brobbey (6.5) - starved of service in the first half but buried the header to even up the score Bergwijn (7)- finally had a good match both on offense and tracking back Tahirovic (6) - good 2nd half and relatively error free Akpom (5.5) - on for Brobbey and put some pressure on the GK Sosa (NR) - on for iron man Hato late Vos (NR) - on late for defense Gaaei (NR) - on late for defense Off next week because of the Beker match and then a mid-week home match against Excelsior on April 24.
One of the better games this season not because of the result but because of the play. Still IMO promising young players aren't given enough playing time and that is on van't Schip.
Annette Mosman, Cees van Oevelen and Georgette Schlick are leaving Ajax's Supervisory Board. This is announced by the club through the official channels. Read more: https://voetbalflitsen.nl/nieuws/e6ard5/ajax-rvc-drie-personen-vertrekken
Very interesting... 5th place finish = good chance in EL Group Stage based on results in other competitions. Would be massive to get into EL GS vs. start in 2nd qualifying round which starts 10 days after European Championship. Would make budget a lot easier. Would just be a totally lucky result from how awful this year has been. In het geval Ajax vijfde wordt in de competitie, bestaat er een goede kans dat de voorrondes van de Europa League overgeslagen mogen worden. Voor de liefhebber heb ik de scenario's uitgewerkt. pic.twitter.com/KYbg1dirBq— Marlon Veldman (@marlonveldman) April 21, 2024
Excelsior very eager and Hato got nutmegged in the box at the backline. Luckily for him the player couldnot keep the ball in.
Possession only kept on own half, but when the ball was paased to the right Excelsior took the ball instantly and Rulli alertness kept the ball from reaching the striker for a one on one.
Ajax in possession near the box, but again Excelsiot drives Ajax back, forcing them to pass backwards to the own half.
27' 1-0 GOAL by Devyne Rensch! Taylor passes the ball from the left side and Rensch finishes when Zagré doesn't intervene adequately and the ball gets stuck. The Amsterdam team is in the lead at home without playing well.
Bergwijn totally braindead. What an absolutely idiotic moment. This club just can't stay out of their own way.
Well, went for a pee and come back for a long VAR analysis. The foul was the result of Ajax struggling to keep Excelsior away and now they have to continue with one man less.
From the start it was clear Excelsior was the team that needed the points the most and were the eager ones on the pitch. Bergwijn's foul was the result of a completely lack of cohesian in the midfield and the defenders look shaky too.
You might expect some confidence boost out of the win against FC Twente, but the picture of the shot stats show a completely non existent attack.