Ajax into Champions League quarter-finals: Regaining lost glory

The first leg they lost at home at the Johan Cruyff Arena with a score of 1 - 2, the story seemed to be over. But the "great earthquake" really happened 3 weeks later, the night of horror at the Bernabeu when Ajax "massacred" the Spanish Royal team with a score of 4 - 1, with a brilliant performance from Dusan Tadic, Ajax entered the Quarterfinals.

It would not be a big deal or a surprise for other European teams to achieve this, but for Ajax it is different. It has been more than 15 years, exactly 16 years since this team has played another quarter-final match in the Champions League.

Vietnamese football lovers must remember the golden age of the “Orange Storm” in the 70s of the last century, when they introduced the “total attack” football style and became a major force in world football.

Ajax's golden generation of the 70s. Photo: Uefa.com

This period of Dutch football is associated with the success of Ajax Amsterdam when they became the second team in the history of European football (along with Real Madrid) to have 3 consecutive C1 Cup championships in 71, 72, 73. In that glorious period, the most prominent name of Ajax who later became a legend of world football was Johan Cruyff. In 1973, J.Cruyff moved to Barcelona - the golden age of Ajax also ended.

In the 90s, Ajax produced a series of new “genius” players, such as Bergkamp, ​​Kluivert, Zenden, Davis, Seedorf, Cocu, the De Boer brothers… they brought back the total football style of Dutch football. Ajax once again reached the highest podium of the Champions League in 1995 and reached the final in 1996. The Dutch team with the core of Amsterdam players reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup in France.

But the problem for Ajax is that they cannot keep their players, the young rising stars after a few successful tournaments have moved to bigger clubs in Europe, typically Bergkamp, ​​Clarence Seedorf, Kluivert, or Marc Overmars. What can be done when the population of the Netherlands is only about 17 million people and therefore cannot attract television rights or advertising contracts. They are forced to accept becoming the "backyard" of big clubs and the youth training ground for the whole of Europe.

Ajax won the C1 championship in 1995. Photo: Goal

It has been more than 10 years since Ajax reached the round of 16 of the Champions League, since the last time in 2005/06. And it has been more than 15 years since the 2003 season, Ajax has played another quarter-final match in this arena. That is too long a time for a major force in European football.

This achievement of Ajax may be a sign of revival, or it may just be an outbreak, but for those who love Dutch football, it is clearly something worth celebrating. Although after this season, Ajax may disappear from the continental football map because their budding talents have caught the attention of European giants, and everyone knows that nothing can keep De Light, Onana, Frankie de Jong... stay.

Ajax of 2019 is a young team, with many rising stars and their most experienced players are only Dusan Tadic, Delay Blind or Klaas - Jan Hunterlaar, a veteran who is now 34 years old. But leading them is Erik ten Hag, who is designing Ajax's style of play to resemble the team's peak period by skillfully combining the experience of the veterans with the talent of the young players.

Remember, in the 2018/19 UCL group stage - Ajax was the team with the highest attacking efficiency among the 32 teams, their finishing efficiency reached 60%. An impressive number.

In 1973, Ajax beat Juventus in the European Cup final on penalties, ending a period of greatness for the team. In 1996, Juventus beat Ajax in another final, ending another golden era for Ajax.

Luckily, the quarter-final draw of the 2018/19 season brought these two teams together. And who knows, a new glorious period of Ajax Amsterdam will begin again…