FOOTBALL – A number of Ajax players’ arms have already gone up in the air at least four times, but only once was that justified. The remaining 100% chances fell to Michael Brouwer who, despite Reda Karchouch’s two goals, became the undisputed man of the match.
Youri Regeer, Enric Llansana and Liam van Gelderen had the ball for pissing, but had not counted on the 29-year-old Apeldoorner. With three great saves, he won the club from Drenthe against Jong Ajax, which came in much younger than expected at De Oude Meerdijk. “I didn’t see the fact that they didn’t come up with the strongest line-up as a blessing beforehand,” Brouwer said afterwards. “Those young players can all play well and just want to prove themselves now that they get the chance.”
“We had a lot of trouble with them and, especially in the first half, we couldn’t get a grip and pressure on their build-up and running people,” said Brouwer. “But luckily we turned it around very maturely in the second half. What this victory means? A nice start to a very busy period. And the fact that we have put ADO Den Haag on seven points does not really bother me. We are not looking at ADO, we are looking at FC Volendam.”