Erik ten Hag regrets the elimination of Ajax in the Europa League. According to the trainer, his team has dominated both matches against AS Roma, but Ajax forgot to reward itself. “The best match is out”, Ten Hag concludes after the 1-1 draw in Rome, that an earlier 1-2 defeat was not enough to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.
“We will not finish the chances, just like last week,” says Ten Hag in front of the camera RTL7. “Then you know that this level does not go any further.” According to the coach, his team has ‘made and dominated the game twice’. “We don’t have the luck either, let’s say that too. You are through with that 0-2, but it is rejected for incomprehensible reasons.” In the second half, referee Anthony Taylor put a stop to a goal by Dusan Tadic, due to a previous foul by Nicolás Tagliafico.
“I haven’t seen the moment again, but the referee is on top of it and says: ‘Continue.’ If he has assessed it then, I think it is a regulatory goal “, says Ten Hag, who disagrees with the statement that Ajax only really started playing well in the second half. “I also thought we were playing excellently in the first half and controlling the game. Davy Klaassen had a big chance; Dusan Tadic a big one and a smaller one. Nico Tagliafico too (one header chance, ed.) We also have a very mature first half. “We started the game very well.”
In the second half, Roma tied the score through Edin Dzeko, who was reached as Riccardo Calafiori rushed past the slipping Jurriën Timber. “Without that slide the ball will not go in either. But that goal was not of value, because we had to score two goals”, realizes Ten Hag, who is now focusing on Sunday’s cup final against Vitesse. “We are going to play a final and you have to be ready for that. It was a long road and we have eliminated almost all the big teams in the Netherlands. There is one left and that is Vitesse. We are extremely motivated for it. We can full of confidence to travel to De Kuip, when you see what we showed on the field today. “
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In the studio of RTL7 says Theo Janssen to understand Ten Hag’s reaction. “If you replay the match for a moment, and he probably did that in his head, you can see that Ajax has given away almost nothing. They have created some opportunities, but there have not been any really big chances. That shot from Tadic was a great shot. difficult ball, Klaassen’s chance was decent, Tagliafico’s header came from a corner and goes over a meter… Is that a chance? It was a possibility, but not a played-out chance they created. “
“What he says is correct in itself: they have had more ball possession …”, says Janssen, after which fellow analyst Jan Boskamp pulls the brakes. “Except for one thing, I have to be honest. They were allowed to have the ball, eh, from Roma. Until a certain point and then there were ten of them there.” Play us out of context “, was their approach. just didn’t work out. ” Janssen agrees. “But you cannot say that what he says is wrong, because they have given very little away.”