Young Ajax booked a spectacular victory over ADO Den Haag in the Kitchen Champion Division on Monday evening. During the baptism of fire of Giovanni Franken, the interim head coach of ADO after the dismissal of Ruud Brood, Ajax won 6-3. Mohammed Kudus was the big man with a hat trick. Due to the victory, number five Ajax opens a gap of four points with ADO, which is sixth and still has two duels left. Meanwhile, number two FC Emmen won 1-3 against Jong PSV, reducing the gap on leader FC Volendam to five points.
Young Ajax – ADO The Hague 6-3
Ajax hoped to end a series of three consecutive defeats and took on the role of Kudus, Mohamed Daramy and Danilo, among others, players who are normally in the picture for the first team. Not entirely coincidentally, the players from the first team were of great value to Jong. Kudus scored the opening goal in the eighteenth minute after preparatory work by Youri Baas. Midway through the first half, ADO came alongside: Ricardo Kishna was sent off by Benjamin Reemst and hurt his former club in a one-on-one situation with Charlie Setford. Danilo restored Ajax’s lead after being set free in front of the keeper by Sontje Hansen.
Four minutes before the break, Ajax expanded the margin. The home team received a penalty after a foul by keeper Alessandro Damen on Danilo, after which Kudus struck from eleven meters. After the break, Naci Ünüvar shot in the far corner to make it 4-1 and the game seemed decided. In the space of two minutes, however, ADO brought the tension back: Thomas Verheydt scored and Sam Steijn pushed the ball under Setford. Ajax suddenly had to fear the equalizer, but took control again. After a nice attack, Kudus was put in front of Damen by Ünüvar and he made it 5-3. Eight minutes before the end, Ajax again received a penalty, this time after a foul on Daramy, and Ünüvar scored via a panenka: 6-3.
Young PSV – FC Emmen 1-3
PSV’s promises started strong and became dangerous twice through crosses. The first was not used by Mohamed Nassoh, but Simon Colyn did tap in after fifteen minutes from a cross from the former: 1-0. Johan Bakayoko failed to take advantage of the next good opportunity by not choosing a corner, after which Emmen fought back in the game. Keziah Veendorp managed to cross from the right in the 35th minute and saw how Fedde Leysen worked the ball into his own goal: 1-1.
An unfortunate moment for Young PSV defender Fedde Leysen. † † ESPN pic.twitter.com/0b2dGNnbdt
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 7, 2022
One minute after the break, Emmen took the lead via Ole Romeny, who finished coolly after good preparatory work by Rui Mendes: 1-2. Bakayoko then created a lot of threat on behalf of Jong PSV, but his cross and shot towards the far corner did not yield the desired result. Emmen, who played economically, closed the game fifteen minutes before the end. Mendes took the ball to the chest in the penalty area and suddenly fired it in from the turn: 1-3.
Jong AZ – Telstar 3-2
After a tumultuous first half, the score was 2-2. Rein Smit gave Telstar the lead after twenty minutes: after goalkeeper Beau Reus of AZ turned a header from Özgür Aktas, Smit was quick for the rebound. Zico Buurmeester headed AZ on the same level, after which Glynor Plet gave Telstar a renewed lead. Five minutes before half time, Buurmeester made it 2-2. The second half saw considerably less danger for both goals, but there was a winner. Fifteen minutes before the end, Iman Griffith scored the winning goal for AZ.
Young FC Utrecht – Almere City FC 1-2
Almere started energetically with a goal from Tijmen Wildeboer, who headed in after five minutes from a corner kick by Lance Duijvestijn: 0-1. The game went back and forth with both teams claiming a goal. Mohamed Mallahi came closest on the stroke of half-time, but had to watch as Almere defender Thomas Poll prevented a Utrecht goal with a perfect intervention. After the break, Ilias Alhaft hit the intersection on behalf of the Flevolanders. Utrecht equalized in the 69th minute via Yuya Ikeshita, who scored from the second line: 1-1. Almere managed to win three minutes before the end. Maarten Pouwels stole the ball from the Utrecht defense and scored from an almost impossible angle: 1-2.
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