VideoThe final of the TOTO KNVB Cup is between PSV and Ajax. The troubled defending champion recovered in Alkmaar by stopping the advance of AZ and on April 17 in De Kuip, he went into a real cracker for cup prolongation: 0-2.
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00:19
By Johan Inan
And the unleashed AZ, with fifteen victories in the last sixteen matches, including the stunt in the Johan Cruijff Arena in December, still seemed the club to keep Ajax away from a national prize for the first time in years and to be in a mini-crisis. to deposit. The cup holder looked ripe for elimination in the semi-finals after disastrous results in Lisbon (after the break) and Deventer. But now that silverware was directly at stake in a fight with a competitor, Ajax was back.
Not that the game was great, but quite enough to stop a confused AZ and make a shot at prolongation of the KNVB cup against rival PSV next month. Ajax was once again firmly in control in Alkmaar. Defensively, Ten Hag’s team, with the recovered and strong playing Jurriën Timber as a replacement for the knee injured Noussair Mazraoui, hardly gave up. Offensively, Ajax had the upper hand, with Ryan Gravenberch also playing deservingly back in the starting line-up.
However, the opening goal fell after an outbreak, with Steven Berghuis launching Antony and returning the ball moments later via Dusan Tadic and an AZ leg. Berghuis did not hesitate and gave Ajax the lead against his former club through the inside of the post. That one hit would last a long time. The home club could hardly alarm Ajax, except for a volley from Jesper Karlsson. The Swedish tastemaker was again part of a tactical gimmick by coach Pascal Jansen, but unlike in previous victories over Ajax and Feyenoord, AZ seemed to confuse itself with it.
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What also didn’t help AZ were numerous disturbances before the break. For example, Ajax was frightened when André Onana landed ugly after a beating. He is the only remaining goalkeeper with experience due to finger injuries of Remko Pasveer and Jay Gorter, which also made Ajax decide to prepare an experienced backup in Robbin Ruiter. The old acquaintance of Ten Hag already trained with the goalkeeper coach of Ajax today. Short-term employment will be further investigated this week.
In addition to Onana, many eyes were on Owen Wijndal, the left-back who is considered a top candidate to replace Nicolás Tagliafico who is eager to leave next summer. Based on his first half, that won’t be. Wijndal could barely keep up with the quick and handy Antony. The target recovered somewhat in the second half, just like the rest of AZ. But that did not lead to serious opportunities for a long time. It remained exciting, also because Ajax did not know what to do with the seas of spaces in the half of AZ. Until substitutes Nicolás Tagliafico (declarer) and Davy Klaassen (finisher) gave AZ the final blow.
The fact that the semi-finals seldom turned into a top match will be of great concern to Ajax in particular. Despite the fragile impression that the title favorite made last week, that club reached the 27th final in club history and the third final battle of the last three completed editions in a businesslike manner. In a real cracker against PSV, which is the opponent in the final for the first time since 2006, the team from Amsterdam is going for the 21st cup win.
Until then, much more is at stake for Ajax. Against Benfica and Feyenoord, among others, the burning ambition to surpass last season’s double must take further shape. And AZ? After the broken series, that has the Eredivisie, in which Feyenoord got their sights on again, and the Conference League, in which stunt team Bodo Glimt is waiting, to provide the football year with shine.
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