Ajax drew De Klassieker 1-1. In Rotterdam, Sean Steur opened the score in the second half with a wonderful shot. At the end of the match, Jakub Moder used a penalty for Feyenoord. “An even match with few chances. This feels like a defeat after the late goal,” was Ajax coach Oscar Garcia’s comment afterwards.
Wout Weghorst started as a striker at Ajax. Weghorst returned to the starting line-up of the club from Amsterdam after a suspension. He was preferred to Kasper Dolberg. Weghorst worked hard, but Ajax failed to reach the striker.
There was little to do in the disappointing first half. Feyenoord came closest to a goal in the eleventh minute. Ajax player Jorty Mokio cleared Tsuyoshi Watanabe’s header off the line. It took until the 30th minute for Ajax to counter that. Ajax striker Mika Godts shot into the hands of Feyenoord keeper Timon Wellenreuther.
Feyenoord became even more dangerous with Ayase Ueda’s header that went just wide. Those were the few highlights of the poor first half. “Of course you want more opportunities, but not everything happens what you plan in advance,” said Garcia.
After halftime, the ball ended up at the feet of 18-year-old Sean Steur in the 54th minute. On the edge of the sixteen-meter area he shot the 0-1 beautifully into the net. “It was very nice that I scored, but it would have been better if we had won,” was Steur’s dry comment.
VAR intervenes
As the match moved toward the end, the spaces became larger. However, this did not result in great opportunities for either team. In the 80th minute, Feyenoord was awarded a penalty after VAR intervention. Substitute Kian Fitz-Jim tapped Jordan Lotamba in the penalty area.
Text continues below video
Jakub Moder shot the pin impeccably and set the final score at 1-1. Due to the draw, Ajax remains in fourth place with 48 points from 28 games. Feyenoord is in the coveted second place with 53 points from 28 games.
Despite the five-point gap and a lower goal difference than Feyenoord, Steur still believes in second place. “I still have a lot of confidence in second place,” said Steur.
Ajax will play at home against FC Twente on Saturday, April 4.
Ajax line-up: Paes, Rosa, Baas, Sutalo, Tomiyasu (Wijndal/’73), Steur (Fitz-Jim/’68), Mokio, Klaassen, Godts, Weghorst (Dolberg/’55, Berghuis (Bounida/’55)
