Through to the Final
Welcome to the Camp Nou. 120 000 fans today to watch Ajax Amsterdam take on FC Barcelona.
The atmosphere here is electrifying. Absolutely fantastic.
Well, we can only hope the football today will be, as well. But this is Barcelona-Ajax. The first leg was a great match, ended in a one-all draw. So Ajax have to score here.
It would be interesting to see if Barcelona will change their attacking approach for this game, because they know how good Ajax are at coming forward. These two teams, along with Arsenal who play Milan tomorrow, are the best attacking teams in Europe. Only one will go to Dortmound for the Final.
Ajax makes only a change from the first leg. Yusuf starts in place of Kafka. Ajax have 4 attackers on the bench: Debuchy, Szekely, Kafka, Ahmet Yilmaz, the young Turkish hotshot striker. Aulens, the reserve keeper, Santiago Sarossa and Leo Koovens are the other options on the bench.
Inostroza gets the ball back from Rosengarten. To Santamaria. Clever flick there…De Pedro is through…he squares the ball…Felix is there! Goal for Barcelona! Perfect start!
Nobody picked up Felix and that is what he is all about. A poacher through and through. The crowd seems alive now, after a slow to the game.
Inostroza…that’s a wonderful through ball for Schwechlen. Schwechlen holds off the challenge of Michele… Schwechlen with the shot! Fantastic last-ditch tackle from de Bruijn. The French striker rues the chance.
Santamaria switches the ball all the way to the right for Barnabas. Plays it back for the right-back Mendez. Mendez to Schwechlen. Schwechlen back to Instroza. Inostroza with the drive…GOAL!
What a goal! Nothing Klompe could do! It was going to the top corner, always going to the top corner. Fantastic effort.
He has two goals in the tie now. And Barcelona are closer and closer to Dortmound.
That’s what the fans are singing now. Vamos a Dortmound. They are going to Dortmound, that’s what they are saying.
It is really up to Ajax to come up with a response in the second half. To be fair, they look a little overawed by the occasion, by the huge, hostile crowd.
Conceding a second goal in injury time of the first half certainly does not help. But they really have to get things together for the second half. Still 45 minutes to play, much as the Barca fans think otherwise, it is far from over.
Welcome back to the Camp Nou. The Ajax players are just getting out to the pitch, where the Barcelona players are already waiting for the restart. No changes to either side.
Flannen tussles with Rosengarten. He’s got the ball…that’s a great turn from him. Releases to Tokiwa. Tokiwa! What an exquisite ball. Thiers. Thiers barges past Mendez. It’s a race between them.
Oh…clever play there from Thiers. Takes the ball past Alfonso…Thiers! It’s a goal! Ajax have pulled one back five minutes within the restart.
And the crowd has fallen silent. They are stung by the goal.
Quick and strong there, Thiers. Then Mendez slid for the ball. He saw it coming, he just cleverly pulls it back, Mendez out of the game. Then Thiers just skips past Alfonso so delicately, and places it into the far corner. The keeper had no chance, whatsoever.
Brilliant goal. Great vision from Tokiwa there. But don’t forget, Flannen won the ball in the first place.
And that’s crucial. In the first half, Rosengarten was dominating the midfield. Bossing it, running it. And Ajax couldn’t get into the game because of that. If Flannen can keep it up, then the match is still open, because Ajax has scored from their first real chance, and that’s what they are about. A lethal attacking team.
Ajax certainly are still in the game. The Camp Nou faithful are not showing it, still singing ‘Vamos a Dortmound’, but surely worries are creeping in.
Klompe to van Kijns. Van Kijns to Michele. De Bruijn. Ferronomo. De Bruijn. Flannen. Battaglia. Tokiwa is out on the right. Clever backheel. Van Kijns overlaps. Passes inside to Yusuf. Yusuf flicks it. Tokiwa, clever pass again, picking out Thiers on the left. Thiers, kills the ball excellently. Back to Ferronomo. Ferronomo to Sofronie. To Flannen. Flannen to Battaglia. Excellent dummy there. Tokiwa is open outside the box. Tokiwa stops the ball. Goal!
I must say, if we ever have any doubts about the class of this player, it has to be dispelled now. Because this must be a goal of the highest quality.
Indeed. Look at it. He stops the ball. He just stops there. Everyone around him stops. Then he just floats the ball delicately into the far post. The keeper did not move. Nobody moved at all. And the Camp Nou is absolutely silent now.
What a goal to silence the crowd. This is a goal that is worthy enough to bring the Camp Nou back to earth.
20 minutes to go, Ajax are level, but ahead on away goals.
Ajax are starting to play with the swagger. They are bossing Barcelona around in Barcelona’s own backyard. The small Ajax contingent are growing louder as their team’s confidence grows.
They are playing like champions.
Ajax will make a change. The young Turkish striker Ahmet Yilmaz will come on for Frederic Thiers. What an occasion for him. He won’t get a lot of time, but I am sure this day will forever be remembered by him.
For the rest of the players as well.
Three minutes of injury time. Only 180 seconds for Barca, but an eternity for Ajax. They will make another change. Leo Koovens will come on for Tokiwa Takuro, the scorer of that magnificent equalizer.
It’s all over! Ajax are through to the Final! It has been a great match. First half was Barca. Second half was Ajax. In the end, the score was even. But Ajax has scored more away goals than Barcelona. And they will go to Dortmound. They reached the Semis two seasons ago, the Last Eight last year. This season, they have finally reached the final.
It has been a titanic battle. But it ends in heartbreak for the Catalans.
The atmosphere here is electrifying. Absolutely fantastic.
Well, we can only hope the football today will be, as well. But this is Barcelona-Ajax. The first leg was a great match, ended in a one-all draw. So Ajax have to score here.
It would be interesting to see if Barcelona will change their attacking approach for this game, because they know how good Ajax are at coming forward. These two teams, along with Arsenal who play Milan tomorrow, are the best attacking teams in Europe. Only one will go to Dortmound for the Final.
Ajax makes only a change from the first leg. Yusuf starts in place of Kafka. Ajax have 4 attackers on the bench: Debuchy, Szekely, Kafka, Ahmet Yilmaz, the young Turkish hotshot striker. Aulens, the reserve keeper, Santiago Sarossa and Leo Koovens are the other options on the bench.
Inostroza gets the ball back from Rosengarten. To Santamaria. Clever flick there…De Pedro is through…he squares the ball…Felix is there! Goal for Barcelona! Perfect start!
Nobody picked up Felix and that is what he is all about. A poacher through and through. The crowd seems alive now, after a slow to the game.
Inostroza…that’s a wonderful through ball for Schwechlen. Schwechlen holds off the challenge of Michele… Schwechlen with the shot! Fantastic last-ditch tackle from de Bruijn. The French striker rues the chance.
Santamaria switches the ball all the way to the right for Barnabas. Plays it back for the right-back Mendez. Mendez to Schwechlen. Schwechlen back to Instroza. Inostroza with the drive…GOAL!
What a goal! Nothing Klompe could do! It was going to the top corner, always going to the top corner. Fantastic effort.
He has two goals in the tie now. And Barcelona are closer and closer to Dortmound.
That’s what the fans are singing now. Vamos a Dortmound. They are going to Dortmound, that’s what they are saying.
It is really up to Ajax to come up with a response in the second half. To be fair, they look a little overawed by the occasion, by the huge, hostile crowd.
Conceding a second goal in injury time of the first half certainly does not help. But they really have to get things together for the second half. Still 45 minutes to play, much as the Barca fans think otherwise, it is far from over.
Welcome back to the Camp Nou. The Ajax players are just getting out to the pitch, where the Barcelona players are already waiting for the restart. No changes to either side.
Flannen tussles with Rosengarten. He’s got the ball…that’s a great turn from him. Releases to Tokiwa. Tokiwa! What an exquisite ball. Thiers. Thiers barges past Mendez. It’s a race between them.
Oh…clever play there from Thiers. Takes the ball past Alfonso…Thiers! It’s a goal! Ajax have pulled one back five minutes within the restart.
And the crowd has fallen silent. They are stung by the goal.
Quick and strong there, Thiers. Then Mendez slid for the ball. He saw it coming, he just cleverly pulls it back, Mendez out of the game. Then Thiers just skips past Alfonso so delicately, and places it into the far corner. The keeper had no chance, whatsoever.
Brilliant goal. Great vision from Tokiwa there. But don’t forget, Flannen won the ball in the first place.
And that’s crucial. In the first half, Rosengarten was dominating the midfield. Bossing it, running it. And Ajax couldn’t get into the game because of that. If Flannen can keep it up, then the match is still open, because Ajax has scored from their first real chance, and that’s what they are about. A lethal attacking team.
Ajax certainly are still in the game. The Camp Nou faithful are not showing it, still singing ‘Vamos a Dortmound’, but surely worries are creeping in.
Klompe to van Kijns. Van Kijns to Michele. De Bruijn. Ferronomo. De Bruijn. Flannen. Battaglia. Tokiwa is out on the right. Clever backheel. Van Kijns overlaps. Passes inside to Yusuf. Yusuf flicks it. Tokiwa, clever pass again, picking out Thiers on the left. Thiers, kills the ball excellently. Back to Ferronomo. Ferronomo to Sofronie. To Flannen. Flannen to Battaglia. Excellent dummy there. Tokiwa is open outside the box. Tokiwa stops the ball. Goal!
I must say, if we ever have any doubts about the class of this player, it has to be dispelled now. Because this must be a goal of the highest quality.
Indeed. Look at it. He stops the ball. He just stops there. Everyone around him stops. Then he just floats the ball delicately into the far post. The keeper did not move. Nobody moved at all. And the Camp Nou is absolutely silent now.
What a goal to silence the crowd. This is a goal that is worthy enough to bring the Camp Nou back to earth.
20 minutes to go, Ajax are level, but ahead on away goals.
Ajax are starting to play with the swagger. They are bossing Barcelona around in Barcelona’s own backyard. The small Ajax contingent are growing louder as their team’s confidence grows.
They are playing like champions.
Ajax will make a change. The young Turkish striker Ahmet Yilmaz will come on for Frederic Thiers. What an occasion for him. He won’t get a lot of time, but I am sure this day will forever be remembered by him.
For the rest of the players as well.
Three minutes of injury time. Only 180 seconds for Barca, but an eternity for Ajax. They will make another change. Leo Koovens will come on for Tokiwa Takuro, the scorer of that magnificent equalizer.
It’s all over! Ajax are through to the Final! It has been a great match. First half was Barca. Second half was Ajax. In the end, the score was even. But Ajax has scored more away goals than Barcelona. And they will go to Dortmound. They reached the Semis two seasons ago, the Last Eight last year. This season, they have finally reached the final.
It has been a titanic battle. But it ends in heartbreak for the Catalans.
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