AZ Again

AZ Alkmaar knocked Ajax Amsterdam out of the Dutch KNVB Beker last year.

And they managed an impressive feat against the most famous team from Holland this year, too. That, despite the fact that they are no longer a team that can challenge for the title, as they were a short while ago.

Ajax took the lead twice, once in the 21st minute, and then again in the 59th minute.
But AZ pulled level twice, too, and got the lead for good in the 74th minute, after a brilliant long pass was finalized spectacularly by Viktor Elm, who gave goalkeeper Vermeer no chance by volleying the ball at high speed.

Ajax is now 3 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven (who got two wins out of two, along with 3 other teams).
But they're doing way better than Feyenoord Rotterdam, the third biggest team in Netherlands, who lost both matches thus far, including a 1-4 shocking loss against Twente Enchede.

Highlights:

Ajax Shakes Up the Top of the Eredivisie

Ajax Amsterdam succeeded not only in getting three points closer to a previously-almost-unstoppable PSV Eindhoven, but also in removing the Eindhoven team from the top of the Dutch standings, as well.

Thanks to Twente's home win, 2-0 over ADO Den Haag, the Enschede team can thank Ajax for keeping PSV on 33 points, while they reach the summit on 34.

In the Amsterdam-Arena encounter, Ajax deservedly went ahead,after half an hour, through who else but Siem de Jong.
But, only 7 minutes later, Jeremain Lens scored an extraordinary goal, on PSV's first real scoring attempt, to level things at 1-1.
It stayed like that until very late in the second half.
After PSV missed an amazing opportunity to go ahead, Ajax punished them in the 72nd minute when Danny Hoesen tapped the ball in from close range, following a very quick Ajax counter-attack.
It was 2-1, the visitors were kind of deflated, and then, fifteen minutes later, Ajax succeeded in putting the icing on the cake by making it 3-1 (- Viktor Fischer was the goalscorer).

So, Twente already passed PSV, and Vitesse Arnhem could do the same, when they play Roda JC Kerkrade, at home, on Sunday.
Ajax is still three points behind PSV, but that's good for them, because, only two weeks before, they were nine points behind.

And the most interesting European league in the last two seasons (including the one in progress, of course) makes for another very fascinating matchday.

Highlights:

Or see them here.

Netherlands - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2012-2013

Ajax Amsterdam --> Champions League Group Stage
Feyenoord Rotterdam --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
PSV Eindhoven --> Europa League Play-off Round
AZ Alkmaar --> Europa League Play-off Round
SC Heerenveen --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Twente Enschede --> Europa League First Qualifying Round
Vitesse Arnhem --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round

Notes: Netherlands was one of the three countries to be awarded an extra Europa League berth, because of the excellent fair-play coefficient of Dutch teams. This place, in the first qualifying round of the competition, went to Twente, who was not supposed to play in the competition at all (as they were not winners of the Dutch Eredivisie Europa League play-off competition). Vitesse Arnhem won the Dutch Eredivisie Europa League play-off competition, against NEC Nijmegen and then RKC Waalwijk (who defeated Twente Enschede), thereby gaining a place in the Europa League Second Qualifying Round.

Okay, Ajax Is Going to Win, But Who'll Be Second?

Ajax got yet another win, by beating disappointing Twente, 2-1, in Enschede. They continue to have a six-point lead over Feyenoord.

Speaking of the team from Rotterdam, they got the other impressive win of this matchday, by downing former long-term leaders AZ Alkmaar, 1-0, at home. Now, Feyenoord is second, finally, and its players are looking at Champions League football next season if only they keep this run going.

PSV managed to take over third, because both Alkmaar and Twente (who has a better goal difference than PSV, by the way) lost this matchday.

Heerenveen, who also won, is now up to fifth, while Twente drops to sixth. And Alkmaar, of course, is fourth now.

1 Ajax              32 21 7 4 88-35 +53  70p
2 Feyenoord     32 19 7 6 63-34 +29  64p
3 PSV              32 19 6 7 79-46 +33  63p
4 AZ                32 18 7 7 62-34 +28  61p
5 Heerenveen   32 17 10 5 73-53 +20  61p
6 Twente          32 17 9 6 77-38 +39  60p

Ajax Keeps Marching Towards the Title

Ajax Amsterdam crushed a Champions League hopeful, Heerenveen, 5-0, away from home, today.

How the hell Heerenveen is still close to the top when they make it a habit of losing 0-5 or 1-5 to Ajax, PSV and Twente, is beyond me (-- 14.08.2011 Ajax - Heerenveen 5-1, 20.08.2011 Heerenveen - Twente 1-5, 18.12.2011 Heerenveen - PSV 1-5, 18.03.2012 PSV - Heerenveen 5-1, 11.04.2012 Heerenveen - Ajax 0-5; see?)!

And Ajax's mission was made easier by two points because closest rivals AZ Alkmaar could not beat other strong rivals Twente Enschede. Final score, in Alkmaar, 2-2.
AZ led twice, through Jozy Altidore 's goals (3, 70), but Luuk de Jong (31) and Emir Bajrami (with just one minute left in regulation) came through for Twente.

But Twente only has 56 points now, while AZ gets to 58.
Ajax, on the other hand, now can brag with 61 points, and the best goal difference in the league.

Feyenoord was only able to achieve a goalless draw at Roda Kerkrade (which leaves them alone in fourth), while PSV lost again, this time at Waalwijk.

Highlights from AZ Alkmaar - Twente 2-2:

az-twe by soccermr

Highlights from Heerenveen - Ajax 0-5:

hee-aja by soccermr

Another Interesting Day in Holland

The most fun league in the world, to watch right now, if you know football, just has to be the Dutch Eredivisie.
So many teams vying for the title, and so many mess-ups between all of them.

Today, the leaders, Alkmaar, as well as seemingly the in-form team, Twente, both stumbled.

AZ Alkmaar could only manage a 0-0 draw at home, against lowly NAC Breda (who defeated PSV just the previous matchday, though), while Twente lost at home to Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Speaking of Feyenoord, they've just joined Heerenveen in the group of hopefuls. (I call them "hopefuls"because they're three points behind the lowest of the top three.)

Twente Enschede is on 48, too, but they have a game in hand.

Ajax is the only team that at the moment seems to be obtaining just victories. The Hague is not always an easy place to go and face the local team, but Ajax beat Den Haag 2-0 there in a convincing manner.
Because of Alkmaar's draw, Ajax is now only one point behind top spot.

Highlights from Alkmaar - Breda 0-0:


Highlights from Den Haag - Ajax 0-2:


Highlights from Twente - Feyenoord 0-2:


Highlights from PSV - Heerenveen 5-1:

PSV Crushed at Home

Wow, what a home defeat for PSV Eindhoven!

Twente outplayed PSV by an enormous margin in the first half. And the Enschede team succeeded in everything they did in that interval.
Being up 4-0 at half-time meant certain victory for the guests. But, much to their credit, PSV tried to get some goals back. And, ha, ha, Twente was hitting them back as soon as they were managing to score any: 1-4, 1-5; 2-5, 2-6.

Anyway, what this means is that Steve McClaren's team passes PSV in the standings, even though they have played one less game. (And gone are the times of the Heracles-Almelo home defeat, 2-3, apparently.)

AZ Alkmaar remains top, but Twente could claim that position if they win their game in hand.
PSV is third, with the same number of points as Twente, but with a vastly inferior goal differential.
Ajax is now also back in the title race, to a great extent, after their victory against Roda, 4-1. They are only three points behind Alkmaar.

Highlights from PSV - Twente 2-6:

Feye... Nooo!

Feyenoord Rotterdam, or rather Guyon Fernandez, fought valiantly to come back from 0-2 to 2-2 in Eindhoven. They should have gotten the draw, but PSV's pressure made Feyenoord's defensive players lose their cool. It ended 3-2 for Philips Sport Vereniging.

Labyad's goal, in minute 85, was, pure and simple, a gift from the guests' defense. The PSV player only had to push in the ball, repeatedly mishandled and lost by Feyenoord, when it reached him.
This scrappy, random goal caused Feyenoord to lose 1 point, and PSV to gain 2 more. PSV Eindhoven also stays at the top of the standings thanks to this win.

Moreover, the leaders gain two points over AZ Alkmaar, who could not build on their win in Brussels, in the Europa League, in midweek, and drew 3-3, at home, against Heerenveen. The third-placed team, therefore, also lost two points in their attempt to follow PSV.

If there is another true winner this matchday, it's Twente Enschede. Steve McClaren's team managed to hold out against pushy Utrecht, who even hit the post in the second half. Final score: 1-0 for Twente, Luuk de Jong with the goal (in minute 45).

Ajax also won, beating Excelsion, 4-1, away from home, but, given that PSV won, they gain no ground on the leader.

What A Day in Holland!

I don't remember the last time a single day (- not even a full matchday -) in Dutch football had so many interesting encounters.

On Sunday, all four scheduled matches involve teams that may have something to say in the title race. Some, more than one.

Even Ajax could get back into the chase, particularly if PSV, Twente and Alkmaar, all playing in separate encounters, fail to win.
Four of these teams, PSV, Alkmaar, Heerenveen and Twente, all have chances of finishing the day on top of the Eredivisie, the last three if other results go their way.

The most mouth-watering matches are, of course, the traditional derby PSV - Feyenoord (with Feyenoord also just four points behind the pace of the leaders), and, of course, second versus third, Alkmaar - Heerenveen.

You know at least two of these teams will drop points. Which ones will it be?
And what if all six drop points?
(...Although, for Ajax's sake, it better not be them, or they could end up eight points behind the leaders, again, and all the hype after the victory against Man. U., at Old Trafford, would all be for nothing.

The matches:

12:30 -- Excelsior - Ajax 14:30 -- PSV - Feyenoord 14:30 -- Twente - Utrecht 16:30 -- AZ Alkmaar - Heerenveen

Humiliated, But Still on Top

PSV Eindhoven lost at Groningen today.

But the manner in which they lost was not one suitable to a team that is number 1.

Hyun-Jun's first goal (minute 29) can be attributed to somewhat poor defending, but the other two goals were even more disgraceful for PSV to concede.
Bacuna's goal, 6 minutes after half time, came exactly when the team from Eindhoven were pressing the hosts, looking for the equalizer. The counter-attack was brilliantly played, and Bacuna just had to score.
However, the icing on the cake, or the completion of the humiliation, depending on which angle you view it from, was Hyun-Jun's second goal, in minute 74, which was a real spectacle to watch, and funny, too. PSV players simply looked like fools, especially the defender who first lost the ball.

Luckily for PSV, though, Alkmaar also crashed and burned, at Utrecht, so there is no change at the top. At least, not at the moment.

However, Twente can now draw level with the leaders when they play their game in hand, because they won today (and find themselves 3 points behind). And there even seems to be a threat from Heerenveen, who is just two points behind after their win yesterday.

Highlights:

The Shittiest Defense

Has Steve McClaren forgotten about the importance of defending?
Or have the Twente players, especially the defenders, dropped 90% in value just now?

In a performance reminiscent of the modern-era Ajax Amsterdam, Twente succeeded in making fools of themselves on their own pitch, in front of a team that's pretty much unknown outside of its own country.

And I can't really speculate on McClaren's fault, but the Twente central defenders were more useless than tits on a nun.
...To their own team, that is. (They were quite useful to the opposition, though. Check out...)

...the highlights:

Twente - Heracles Almelo 2:3 by FootballKing1992

Quite funny!