Markus Rosenberg showed Ajax the way early. The Swede made it 1-0 after five minutes from a corner kick by Kenneth Perez. Twenty minutes later, Rosenberg struck again, with another hard effort.The defensive-minded opponents from Kristiansand had little or no chance in the match. Zdenek Grygera made it 3-0 with a beauty, right before halftime. Despite the deficit, the Norwegians kept playing their own, defensive game.

,,We did what we had to do'', said coach Henk ten Cate. ,,We played well, especially in the first half, and we made beautiful goals. In the second half, Start's coach added another defender, so there was even less room to play. I think that also we knew we were going through and then you want to come out of the match without injuries. But all in all I'm very pleased.''

Ten Cate had seen that the changes in the lineup had worked out well. Tom de Mul played a good match as right winger and Thomas Vermaelen did a fine job in his new role as left back. Goalkeepers Dennis Gentenaar and Kenneth Vermeer kept, each a half, their goals clean.

,,I saw a great Tom de Mul in the first half and a good Markus Rosenberg’’, said Ten Cate. ,,We were concentrated at the back; we hardly gave them anything. I am very satisfied. Quite a few players have shown that they are ready; they can play when called upon. That is the bonus of tonight.''

After halftime, Ajax added one more goal. Substitute Ryan Babel stole the ball and scored: 4-0. Ajax were through to the group stage of the UEFA Cup.

Kenneth Vermeer left the dressing room with a big smile after the match. He replaced the injured Dennis Gentenaar at halftime. ,,It was a nice debut, one that I waited for a long time’’, said Vermeer. ,,I saw Dennis in the physio room at halftime, but I thought he could play on. But then the coach told me to warm up. No, I wasn't nervous, but focussed. I did have to make two saves, and they went well. When I came on, it was already 3-0, so there was no real pressure.''

Vermeer will not lightly forget the return match against IK Start. His first official match in Ajax 1 leaves him wanting more. ,,What am I going to do with my debut shirt? Nothing. I exchanged it with the goalkeeper of IK Start. Hopefully I can add many more shirts to that in the future.''