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I watched Ajax played against Arsenal last night. Somehow, the match reminds me of why I like Ajax in the first place \u00ef\u00bf\u00bd huge but local, young yet technically skillful, a darkhorse but feared by many. But Ajax has always have problems with its finishing ever since Ibrahimovic and Mido left. This was hurtfully apparent last night.<\/p>\n
Arsenal’s first goal was swift and punishing. I’d wish Ajax hadn’t been so relaxed.<\/p>\n
Arsenal’s second goal is another story altogether. It was a penalty and it’s definitely a lie. Reyes dived in the penalty box and even the commentators cast doubt on the referee’s decision to award Arsenal a penalty kick. Even if the decision were appropriate, Reyes was offside and the linesman had clearly raised his flag. Somehow, the ref chose to ignore that.<\/p>\n
When Ajax’s captain, Tomas Galasek tried to talk to the ref about that penalty, the ref refused to listen. Instead, Galasek was booked with a yellow card. Some of Ajax’s fans at Ajaxtalk.nl<\/a> mourn that the ref was biased to his fellow countryman, Reyes about that penalty. I don’t know about that but I know the ref sucks.<\/p>\n Immediately after the penalty, Ajax’s then rushed to Arsenal’s penalty box and scored.<\/p>\n Yet, it wasn’t enough and again, the statistics – possession, number of shots, corners – is not reflected in the result. Cruel as it is, only the final result that matters in the end. Realization of this cruelty is what most Ajacieds – fans, players and coaches alike – are unable to grasp on.<\/p>\n The game itself was entertaining despite I was clearly frustrated. Nevertheless, Ajax players were fantastic and exciting. Babel, Pienaar, Rosenberg, Galasek and Boukhari did a lot of good stuff to the ball. Ajax as a team played great passing and attacking style. Yet, it never really managed to cash in on its many opportunities that it created so elegantly.<\/p>\n If only Ajax has another Ibrahimovic, Ajax could be a force to reckon with. It’s clear that many of Ajax players like Sneijder, Pienaar and other that I’ve mentioned earlier are maturing into great players.<\/p>\n