Greatest Games of My Life #9 - Ajax 5-0 Fortuna Sittard, 2019.
- eddieettridge
- Jun 22, 2020
- 2 min read
My Dad and I had booked a lads and dads trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. What a destination it is. Bikes, beer, cafes and of course, football. I know what you're thinking, "Errmmm... marijuana?" Not for me thank you. I was raised to be a good boy no matter how rebellious I thought I was. I'd always cough after one toke anyway.
We'd seen a lot of the city but as the sun was going down it was time to watch some football under the lights of the great Johan Cruyff Arena. Ajax v Fortuna Sittard was the game and I must say, as we were pulling into Bijlmer ArenA Station, the stadium looked massive.
Now obviously inside a football stadium that's when it's the loudest but as we were queueing at the turnstile gate waiting to go into the ground, you could hear the passionate, loud singing from the Ajax fans from inside the stadium. You can feel the atmosphere as you're looking up at the giant Gladiator Arena in front of you - It really gave me the chills. Especially it being an evening kick-off. All those years of me thinking that the Amex Stadium (My local) was a 'big' football ground. This was something else.
Icing On the Cake
Being a fan in England, I'm used to watching Premier League games where the football is fast and very physical. The Eredivisie (Dutch league) is slower than the Premier League with less aggression and physicality. Nonetheless, the game itself was still very enjoyable to watch - the atmosphere was on point too.
Quincy Promes would score a hat-trick and David Neres would bag a goal as well. The fifth goal for Ajax would be an own goal. Ajax dominated the majority of the game but Fortuna gave them a few scares - well played to them.
Great, a nice 5-0 win! The icing on the cake to a great trip. Thank you Ajax and Amsterdam.
Dad Being Dad
Young talent, Donny Van De Beek played some good football too. An Ajax academy boy, I enjoyed watching him and I hope Dad did too because when he asked me who plays for Ajax at Gatwick Airport, I mentioned Donny Van De Beek.
His response:
"That just sounds like something you'd order at a kebab shop!"
Chicken Nuggets De Chips is the next rising star in the Ajax academy then.
Does the Dutch League Need More Credit?
When you think Dutch football, the first thing that comes to most peoples mind is Johan Cruyff, total football or the greatest Dutch national teams of years gone by. The success of the Dutch players at their respective clubs (usually overseas) and the national team, overshadows club football in the Netherlands.
Many of these great players have come through the academy systems in the Netherlands for teams like Ajax and PSV - which are two of the best academies in the world. Why are people tipping the Dutch as favourites for Euro 2020? You could say the Eredivisie is the unsung league in Europe.
By Ed Ettridge
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