Ajax takes the next step towards European football and delivers the final blow to FC Volendam

Ajax definitively sentenced fellow provincial FC Volendam to direct relegation to the Kitchen Champion Division on Sunday afternoon. The Amsterdam team triumphed 1-4 in the Kras Stadium, meaning that the home team can no longer leave seventeenth place. With the victory, Ajax also has the chance of retaining fifth place in the Eredivisie in its own hands.

FC Volendam had a tumultuous first half of the season with the resignation of chairman Jan Smit. The folk singer was dismissed by the supervisory board at the end of November last year, just before his tenth anniversary as a board member. The so-called Jonk team drew its conclusion from this and resigned. Trainer Matthias Kohler declared his solidarity with Jonk cs. The German quickly reversed this decision, but was still suspended at the beginning of December. Regillio Simons became his successor. Simons, who was absent against Ajax due to illness, could not get the Eelboeren going. Attacking talent Lequincio Zeefuik left for AZ during the winter break while the injured Robert Mühren has been watching for a while. Only a few weeks ago there was a brief revival after a draw against Feyenoord and a victory over RKC. However, the away match at competitor Excelsior after this mini series ended in a debacle and resulted in a 4-0 defeat. As a result, the belief in survival had all but disappeared and the wide-leg trousers were not within reach of the very last straw against Ajax.

On the other hand, the Amsterdam team wanted to hold on to fifth place in order to avoid the play-offs for European football. This round started with a margin of two points over NEC and three over FC Utrecht. Jordan Henderson returned to the starting line-up after an absence of weeks. Steven Berghuis was also there again and started as a bench seat.

In the opening phase, hawk eyes were immediately needed to judge whether FC Volendam deserved a penalty. Ajax goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli’s foul on Damon Mirani was obvious. It was about who extended the ball after a long throw-in. Referee Alex Bos was called to the side and ruled that it was Vivaldo who inadvertently served teammate Mirani. It was one of the two highlights in the first half. The second was Kenneth Taylor’s 0-1, who scored beautifully from just outside the penalty area.

FC Volendam did not seem to believe in a good result for a moment, although they had bad luck immediately in the second half with a bet from Darius Johnson. The winger outwitted Gerónimo Rulli who had run out with a lob, but saw the ball come back into the field via the inside of the post. On the hour mark, Chuba Akpom shot his team to 0-2 and thus sealed the fate of FC Volendam. Brian Brobbey’s 0-3 meant the eighteenth goal of the season for the Ajax attacker. Taylor then even made it 0-4 with his second of the afternoon. Shortly afterwards, Benaissa Benamar saved the proverbial honor.

While FC Volendam starts its farewell tour of the Eredivisie with matches against FC Twente and Go Ahead Eagles, Ajax will want to definitively take fifth place in the two remaining matches against low-flying Almere City FC and the other relegated Vitesse.