UEFA Cup results…

Some of the worst players in the world…

“The boys lost to the men…”

“Spectacular win in Hamburg…”

Some of the headlines in the post UEFA cup round newspapers. Mario Been’s Boys were awestruck at home against the (once mighty) Tottenham Hotspur.

Mario Been: “The first ten minutes were horrible. We seemed to have too much respect. We got back into the game and actually didn’t play too bad after their goal, but I don’t think we could have won. Even if we played for another 90 minutes. But, it’s not a disgrace. They’re a big club, big name players, big budgets… We learn a lot from this, and that’s the objective. We didn’t set out to win the UEFA Cup this season. The national competition is the main focus, but these lovely bonuses do give us a taste and I hope it will motivate the lads to qualify for European football yet again.”

Feyenoord was dubbed the worst team ever by the Spanish newspapers. Well, any accolade is one… Not only was Feyenoord outclassed – mentally in particular, a small contingent of “fans” decided to take it out on the hosts, by destroying the stands and chucking chairs to the police. A disgrace!
The UEFA will very likely come up with a devastating measure against the pride of Rotterdam…

Feyenoord looked pale in the first half. Deportivo played as if they were doing a “rondo” at training. On every position on the pitch, Depor seemed to have the best player. The ball went from foot to foot, the only thing you can say about Deportivo in a negative sense is that they “only” scored thrice. A scrimmage before Timmer resulted in the 1-0. Feyenoord started the second half aggressively, but it was shortlived. Hofland scored an own goal (2-0) and Feyenoord’s confidence was all gone. With 3-0 as end result, Deportivo was kind to Makaay’s new club. The former Deportivo star had a great time on the pitch, but during the match he was invisible, mainly due to the lack of support. Twenty minutes before the end, he did have one chance to save Feyenoord’s face, but he sorely missed.

Gertjan Verbeek: “It’s a clear picture, isn’t it? Three games played, three losses. 9 goals conceded, one scored… We don’t belong at this level. It’s as simple as that.”

Ajax only needs one point againt Slavia Prague in the last home game. On paper, Van Basten wanted to win the home games, but with the surprise beating of Hamburg last Thursday, late Leonardo goal, it seems Ajax is virtually through. Ajax could have scored a second goals only minutes later when Emanuelson had a free chance but saw his effort saved by a superb goalie reflex.

Ajax thanks the fans…

And what a goal Leonardo’s was…. He picked up a stray pass and ran into space. His effort hit both bars (!) before Leonardo tapped it in, seconds before the defenders picked up on him.

Marco van Basten personally thanks the fans in the stands. “They were again very important for us. It was a tight game, in the first half it could have gone Hamburg’s way. But with the 0-0 on the board I knew we had a chance. This is great for the club.”

Martin Jol: “You have to congratulate Ajax, really. They played it smart. We couldn’t nail them down and with Leonardo and Suarez I knew the game would get risky for us in the second half. I could see this defeat coming. They won deservedly.”