After two defeats against PSV and a draw against AZ, Ajax coach John Heitinga knows what it’s like to win again. Ajax won the make-up match against FC Groningen 3-2 today and so 39-year-old Heitinga was able to board the bus back to Amsterdam, smiling. “We did what we had to do.”
“The opening was very good today. But after that you have to push on”, says Heitinga in front of the camera of ESPN. “They score from the switch and we have to get better at that. I’ve seen very good things. We score three goals today. And of course we could have scored much more.”
Ajax captain Dusdan Tadic said after the game that he had started the game with great reluctance. “It was very tough mentally. It is not fun to play without fans. I have also seen the images of crying children after the game. That is sad to see. People ask me: ‘What is happening in the Netherlands?’ They think you are hooligans. This should not happen. The Netherlands is a nice country with nice people, but we have to make a statement.”
Thanks to today’s victory, Ajax climbs over AZ in the standings and is third again. The team from Amsterdam now has two points ahead of AZ with two rounds to go. Ajax first plays against FC Utrecht on Sunday and then at home against FC Twente. AZ first visits NEC in Nijmegen and receives PSV in the last round.