AJAX SHOW CITY EURO CLASS
Posted on: Thu 16 Jul 2009
Bristol City 0-4 Ajax
Adam Baker reports from Ashton Gate
Ajax showed their European class with a four-nil thumping of City at Ashton Gate tonight.
Luis Suarez, Urby Emanuelson, Albert Luque and Dennis Rommedahl all found the back of the net in a one-sided pre-season encounter.
However, there were big plusses for the hosts off the pitch, with more than 10,900 supporters turning out to see the game and back Bristol's bid to host World Cup football.
Ismail Aissati and Suarez tested Dean Gerken in the City goal early on, and City had barely tested their opponents when the opener arrived.
On 27 minutes Emanuelson nipped in ahead of Ivan Sproule, raced forward unchallenged and teed-up Suarez for a smart finish into the top corner.
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Suarez and Aissati both went close before goal number two on 35 minutes, Aissati this time finding Emanuelson, who had evaded the offside trap and coolly finished over Gerken's onrushing body.
Bradley Orr almost gave the home support something to cheer with a cheeky long-range lob before half-time but the ball dropped just over the top.
City made five changes at the interval, including the introduction of trialist keeper Peter Brezovan. The Slovak keeper had answered a late call from City boss Gary Johnson after Adriano Basso had been ruled out with a calf injury.
Lewin Nyatanga operated well at left-back and Danny Haynes looked particularly sharp - and quick - on the right of a three-pronged attack.
Louis Carey keeps a check on Ajax's Urby Emanuelson
The chances kept coming for Ajax with Suarez rattling the crossbar from distance, Evander Sno missing an open goal and Bradley Orr denying Suarez on the goal-line.
The icing on the cake for Ajax was Luque's brilliant 45-yard lob of Brezovan nine minutes from time. The former Newcastle United and Deportivo forward beat the big keeper with a perfectly-executed chip, after being picked out by trialist Alexei Eremenko's misplaced pass.
And Rommedahl made it four at the end with his first touch since arriving on the pitch, coolly chipped Brezovan after being picked out by Suarez.
City: Gerken (Brezovan 46); Orr (Ribeiro 62), Carey (Papazacharias 62), Fontaine (J.Wilson 62), McAllister (Nyatanga 46); Johnson (Artus 62 (Plummer 87)), Skuse (Hartley 82), Elliott (Eremenko 62); Sproule (Haynes 46), Maynard (Akinde 46), Clarkson (McIndoe 46).
Ajax: Stekelenburg, van der Wiel, Vertonghen, Emanuelson, Sulejmani, Aissati, Suarez, Wielaert, Alderweireld, Sno, Kennedy. Subs: Verhoeven, Lindgren, De Jong, Anita, Rommaedahl, Ogarau, Luque.
Attendance: 10,933.
http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10327~1723379,00.html
