From MD-1, the Monday on the eve of the match, absolutely everything is focused on the battle for the world title. Culturally oriented outings in Tokyo are out of the question. Preparation requires full dedication. The concentration level of the Ajax players - both players and staff members - is now equal to that for an important European match.
Calm before the storm
The jet lag that hindered the Ajax players in the first days has disappeared. Rest and routine are important elements. On the eighth floor of the Imperial Hotel, where Ajax have been staying since Friday, a tense silence prevails. It is a silence before the storm that will inevitably erupt on Tuesday evening.
To be mentally prepared as well, the Ajax players may - no, must - already imagine the impending battle. It is a fixed element in the working method of coach Louis van Gaal. What will the battle against the physically strong Brazilians look like? Van Gaal and his staff pull out all the stops to prepare their players optimally for the fight against Gremio.
The morning training session is held on the pitch where Ajax had earlier trained, in the Nogaoshka Stadium. After days of acclimatising, sharp training has taken place since Sunday. This Monday morning session is also intense. A little over twenty-four hours before kick-off, the Ajax players keep each other sharp. The match tension - or rather: World Cup fever - which was absent upon arrival in Japan, is rising.
Bitter cold
After a calm afternoon, the squad step onto the turf of the National Stadium for the first time on Monday evening. Where a mild sun shines during the day, it is bitterly cold in the evening during the stadium visit. A cold wind blows through the stadium where Ajax and Gremio will take the field on Tuesday evening. The temperature drops and even dips below freezing. These are the conditions under which the match will also be played a day later.
The biting cold is not the only downside. The quality of the pitch is inferior and frustrating. The surface is rock hard. The fact that the Brazilians trained there earlier has done the turf no favours either. The conditions require extra concentration, especially in ball control and passing. Ajax appear at a disadvantage as a team that relies on quick and precise passing, a fast ball circulation and good positional play.
Good night’s sleep
Frank de Boer had been struggling with a slight injury until recently, one that made it impossible for him to play in the gala match against Real Madrid (0–2). The defender trains again this evening. That is good news, also because De Boer’s intended replacement Arnold Scholten is dealing with a calf injury. Not long afterwards, the lights dim on the eighth floor of the Imperial Hotel. The Ajax players go to bed on time. A good night’s sleep can make the difference. Tuesday will be a long day.
Tuesday is matchday. Today, too, the Ajax players follow the routines that are customary on a European matchday. After breakfast, the head coach remains at the hotel, which is familiar practice. While Van Gaal prepares his match talk, assistant coach Bob Haarms leads the walk. To ease the match tension, the players stretch their legs and have a drink in a café opposite the Imperial.
Tactical arrangements
When all tactical arrangements have been made during the match talk, the sports meal follows after the afternoon nap. As the Ajax players fill their last plates, the luxury coach is already waiting. At 17:00, two hours and a quarter before kick-off, the squad depart under police escort to the National Stadium. There, Ajax must emulate the feat of the Golden Ajax of 1972.
The National Stadium is well filled when Ajax and Gremio finally take to the pitch together on Tuesday evening, 27 November at 19:15 local time. The shirts are sponsorless, as the rules prescribe. The number on both back and chest is a novelty. In the Netherlands it is 11:15.
Early kick-off
The early kick-off means that part of public life in the Netherlands comes to a halt. Many offices and classrooms have hastily been supplied with a television set. Especially in and around Amsterdam, but in many more places in the Netherlands and the world, many do not want to miss this world title battle. Ajax – Gremio FB is broadcast in 151 countries. In eleven of those, football fans can enjoy a live broadcast.
In Tokyo, clusters of Dutch and Brazilian supporters are present to witness the battle with their own eyes. The Europeans and South Americans know football culture and set the tone for the atmosphere. The Japanese in attendance visibly and audibly have less affinity with the ball. This mix of (football) cultures creates a unique atmosphere in the stadium.
Physicality
Ajax and Gremio, the champions of Europe and the best club of South America, are well matched, as quickly becomes clear. The white-red-and-white formation (the average age of the Ajax starting XI is only 24.3 years) attack, and the white-blue-and-blacks mainly defend. Ajax and Gremio do what they are good at. The Amsterdam side had feared the physicality with which South Americans can play. But that physicality is manageable, especially before the break. The English referee David Elleray has the match reasonably under control.
Jabs are exchanged here and there on the hard pitch. Patrick Kluivert fights a fierce battle with Rivarola. Defender Frank de Boer in turn keeps Gremio striker Mario Jardel at bay. David Endt in the Ajax Yearbook: 'There is no real risk and the Ajax play lacks the flowing form that makes it so attractive. The invincibility is missing. There are chances on both sides, for Kluivert, for Jardel, for Jari Litmanen, for Carlos Miquel.'
About ten minutes after the break, the status quo finally seems to be broken. In Ajax’s favour, so the Amsterdam section of the spectators hope. After Kluivert is brought to a halt hard, the ball rolls to the feet of the unmarked Litmanen. About twelve metres from goal, the Finn decides not to shoot hard. Perhaps the subconscious awareness plays a role that earlier attempts by the Finn had sailed over the Brazilian goal.
Litmanen attempts to delicately chip the ball over the goalkeeper. The choice proves unfortunate, or at least does not work out well. Ajax’s number ten mis-hits the ball and produces an effort that resembles more of a back pass. Colossal chance gone.
Kluivert header onto the bar
Gremio have to continue with ten men when Rivarola torpedoes Kluivert. The Brazilians play even more cautiously and conservatively with a man down. Not long after he has been patched up, Kluivert directs his header onto the bar. Extra time is inevitable. In the additional thirty minutes, neither team manage to make the difference. The Gremio players can barely remain upright from exhaustion, but they do force penalties.
Elleray tosses a coin for the third time. Gremio may start the shootout. That can be a psychological advantage if the first penalty is converted. It is not. Edwin van der Sar beats away Dinho’s effort. When Kluivert and Francisco Arce also miss their penalties, the scoreboard still reads zero after three kicks. Via Finidi George, Ronald and Frank de Boer, Ajax finally reach match point. Danny Blind coughs his instantly iconic coughs and lashes the decisive penalty past Danrlei de Deus.
Ajax win the Intercontinental Cup!
It is the second time in history after 1972 that the club may call itself the very best in the world. The Amsterdam joy on the pitch is captured by a horde of photographers and cameramen who have suddenly broken through the security line. There is no holding them for the match organisation, who are not used to such scenes.
Endt: ‘A new pearl has been added to the Ajax crown. World champions! The tearful eyes of the Gremio players contrast with the bliss of the Ajax players who take their lap of honour with the two trophies, the official Intercontinental Cup and the Toyota Cup.’
And yet. The true ecstasy, as after the Champions League final won in May, is missing afterwards at Ajax. ‘In the dressing room, the result is reflected upon once more’, writes Endt, who was an eyewitness as a staff member at the time. 'The job is done (..) and the value of this victory still needs to sink in somewhat, it seems.'
Assistant coach Gerard van der Lem perhaps captures the mood in the squad after the triumph best. Amsterdam-style down-to-earth in Het Parool: 'What matters now is simply the match on Sunday against Willem II, the number three in the table.'
Gold
'Back at the hotel, the Intercontinental Cup goes from hand to hand in the reception room set up especially for Ajax', continues Endt in his recollection. 'Fatigue is kicking in. Some Ajax players seek their beds and sleep, others prefer to celebrate the triumph in a small group. In the storage-room-turned-room of (kit man) Sjaak Wolfs, gold glistens. ''That’s it, the cup, we’ve got it!"'
After a short night, the return journey awaits, and it does not go without problems. Above Siberia, the aircraft is ordered to turn back because no flight permit appears to exist for this part of Russia. The captain informs his passengers, reluctantly turns his aircraft around and flies back to Japan. Confusion among the Ajax players is great. When permission is finally granted, the Ajax plane can begin the return flight again - and this time successfully.
Daley Blind and Joël Silooy
With a delay of many hours, the world champions land at Schiphol only at night. Still, several hundred fans have gathered to welcome their favourites. Upon returning home, the very young Daley Blind and Joël Silooy are also proud of the latest Ajax trophy. Beaming with pride, the two Ajax youngsters pose with the Intercontinental Cup.
Because of the delay, the celebration in Amsterdam has been postponed. The celebration on Museumplein takes place a day later than originally planned. When the Ajax players stand on Museumplein on Thursday evening, two days after their lap of honour in the National Stadium, it becomes clear to them how intensely people at home have followed the team. The square is full of Ajax fans. The realisation that something great has been achieved sinks in deeply. What follows is an unforgettable celebration. Ajax are once again the best club in the entire world.
'If this team is discussed in twenty years as the great Ajax of the nineties, I shall be very pleased', Van Gaal states after the victory in Het Parool. The successful coach can indeed be pleased. After the Golden Ajax of the seventies, his Ajax will forever be the Great Ajax of the nineties.
Part 1 of this diptych was published on Thursday. This Friday, the Ajax Special Big in Japan is also being shown, with unique footage in the run-up to and around the historic match between Ajax and Gremio. Both in this diptych and in the special, unique new photos by Ajax’s then house photographer Louis van de Vuurst can be seen for the first time.
