Ajax
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NEC
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Ajax vs NEC Match Preview
Ajax had a quiet week. For the first time since the season start the international players had no midweek obligations. “That was good. I actually started to feel a little tired”, Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen said.Last week Ajax won their first league match after a non winning streak of three when they took three points away at VVV-Venlo (2-0). With that win Martin Jol’s team was back into the title race, only trailing PSV and FC Twente three points.
NEC will visit Amsterdam for the 35th time in the Eredivisie and the club from Nijmegen never won away at Ajax. They only grabbed three draws in the previous 34 encounters. This time the red-black-green brigade may have a good chance as they bring in Eredivisie top scorer Björn Vleminckx, who made 12 goals in 16 matches which is 44 percent of NEC’s total league production this season.
Ajax vs NEC Match Report
Ajax just does not seem to be able to find the rhythm in their own Amsterdam Arena this season. The ‘Godenzonen’ drew 1-1 against NEC on Saturday, thus posting their third consecutive home match without a win in de Eredivisie. The last time Ajax did not manage to win three consecutive league matches at home was in 1998.“NEC were the better team in the first half hour”, admitted Martin Jol. The Ajax coach complained about not being able to buy attacking wingers for Ajax. “Why NEC were better? Because they have players we could use, like ADO Den Haag. They have Wesley Verhoek. We were playing with a whole new attacking line, they were not used to playing together.”
With Luis Suarez suspended for a long time Jol fielded Miralem Sulejmani as left winger, Mido as target man, Mounir El Hamdaoui as second centre forward and Araz Özbiliz on the right wing. It did not work out and the home crowd even whistled to their own team for playing so poorly.
In the 76th minute Mido seemed to save the three points for Ajax from a Sulejmani cross, but two minutes later Bram Nuytinck hit the target for NEC’s well deserved equalizer. The Red-Black-Green Brigade never won at Ajax, but on Saturday they marked their fourth draw in 35 league matches visiting the Amsterdam club.