Feyenoord drop 2-0 to Ajax

By: Jackson | February 15th, 2009

Feyenoord was clearly motivated for a supreme effort in Amsterdam but it wasn’t enough as they lost 2-0 to Ajax on two second half goals. From the start it wasn’t going to be easy for Leon Vlemmings tactical plan as he lost Jon Dahl Tomasson before the match as he became ill.

The first forty-five minutes was marked with caution with Feyenoord more careful going forward and Ajax apparently unwilling to commit to the attack. Feyenoord’s best attack effort came at the half hour mark whereby Kelvin Leerdam flicked on Diego Biseswar’s corner but it was off course. As the half neared completion Ajax took more control and gave a hint of things to come.

If Ajax was subdued in the opening half, they made up for it after the break as they sliced through the Rotterdammers and without a great deal of fortune the score line would have been considerably worse. Seven minutes after the start, Theo Lucius was booked for a foul and Swedish international Kennedy Bakircioglü free-kick was headed in by Thomas Vermaelen. Following the goal Ajax swarmed forward and Henk Timmer, along with at least three shots that hit the post over the next half hour the goal margin stayed the same. With eight minutes left Dwight Tiendalli was carded on a professional foul Urby Emanuelson a meter outside of the box but unfortunately it was his second yellow and Feyenoord was down a man for the rest of the match. As time wound down Luis Suárez was sent a long ball and coming down the left, Henk Timmer who had such a great match poured out towards him for some odd reason leaving the goal completely exposed. Suárez drew the ball back to Emanuelson who was parked near the center of the area and easily scored.