Goals festival in Amsterdam: Ajax just doesn’t make it to 10 against Cambuur
Ajax defeated Sparta 9-0 in the 2000/2001 season. In the KNVB Cup and the next UEFA Cup, UDI’19 (9-0) and Maribor (9-1) were sent home with big marks. Once before, Ajax won a match in the Eredivisie with eight different goalscorers. That happened on August 30, 1981 against De Graafschap (9-1).
Keeping players fit
Trainer Erik ten Hag is committed to keeping as many players as possible from his wide selection fit and satisfied. Nicolás Tagliafico and David Neres were allowed to start again against SC Cambuur. Both players were able to leave this summer but did not find the right club.
Daley Blind and Antony were rested three days after the match against Sporting Portugal (1-5) and Davy Klaassen and Maarten Stekelenburg are not injured yet. But even without this foursome Ajax was much too strong for Cambuur in its own stadium. After victories in front of their own audience against NEC (5-0) and Vitesse (5-0) leeks, sometimes the champion himself could determine the result. If Ajax even accelerated, it would rain goals in the ArenA.
Cambuur remained upright for the first fifteen minutes. But then it was Jurriën Timber who knocked Alex Bangurae’s ball in his own half. He crossed the field, combined with Steven Berghuis and opened the score. Three minutes later, Berghuis scored after a corner kick rehearsed by Ryan Gravenberch and Dusan Tadic. Noussair Mazraoui and Neres also found the goal before halftime (4-0).
‘Ten, ten, ten’
Tadic made it 5-0, before he was allowed to leave for Danish acquisition Mohamed Daramy. Perr Schuurs, Kenneth Taylor, Danilo and Blind also got playing time. Daramy debuted in the Arena with the 6-0, as indicated by Taylor. Haller, the man of four goals against Sporting, made it 7-0. Danilo equaled a record in the Eredivisie with eight different goalscorers in one match. After Neres’ 9-0, the supporters in the stadium chanted ‘ten, ten, ten’. Cambuur was spared that humiliation. Gravenberch did hit the post in injury time.