Kenneth Taylor was of great value to Ajax on Saturday with two goals and an assist against FC Emmen, but it is impossible to be satisfied afterwards. The midfielder was substituted due to an injury and had to watch from the reserve bench as his teammates gave away a 1-3 lead: 3-3 final score. “How can that be? Good question”, Taylor opens in front of the camera at ESPN. “We have to look back on that, but of course you can never give away a 1-3 lead.”
Ajax fell behind in the sixth minute due to an unparalleled free kick by Jeroen Veldmate. “Nice goal. He shot it really well,” says Taylor. “I thought of nothing but coming back, and that worked out well.” The twenty-year-old midfielder was responsible for that with two goals. First he outwitted Mickey van der Hart with a hard shot straight ahead. “That was luck,” said Taylor, who hit the ball badly. “It had to go in anyway.” He then headed in a cross from Dusan Tadic. “That was a better goal.”
Kenneth Taylor shows himself in Emmen with two goals and an assist! ?
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) Nov 12, 2022
Taylor kept a finger to his mouth after both goals, but said he did not want to provoke the home crowd of FC Emmen. “I watched a movie with my friends, The Redeem Team.” The documentary follows the US basketball team on their way to the 2008 Olympics. “Kobe Bryant made that gesture too,” explains Taylor. “Then I agreed to do the same.” The gesture was therefore not intended for the Emmen fans. “No, it’s really because of that movie. Kobe Bryant did that and we really liked that hard. Then we agreed.”
Taylor therefore did not finish the match in Emmen. “I kicked the bottom of Mark Diemers’ shoe in minute six. My foot swelled up at halftime. I wanted to try it, but it didn’t work.” Davy Klaassen replaced him after an hour of play. Taylor is in the the Dutch squad for the World Cup and is not concerned about his participation. “I’m just going to report on Monday. It’s a shovel, but nothing is broken, or something. That’s what the doctor just said.”