Five minutes later.
-----
Monaco only had one choice in this match: to attack!
This allowed Ajax to be in a more relaxed position than in the previous match despite Ibrahimovic not being able to play.
They had the home advantage, the advantage of being able to rest and wait for exhaustion, as well as the strategic space on the field that their opponents would not be able to defend. The only test for them was whether they would be able to coordinate effectively with Pinard replacing Ibrahimovic on the field.
Even though they managed to coordinate once at the start of the match, it did not mean that Monaco would sit back and watch Ajax continue to coordinate with similar attacks.
They would also make corresponding adjustments after observing and familiarizing themselves with Ajax's attacking patterns.
Monaco started the match with the same ferocious momentum as they did towards the end of the previous match, throwing their attacking forces into the front field as if they had lost their minds.
Unfortunately, they were playing in an away match and were not in their best condition in the opening stages. Evra and Roten coordinated well with each other on the flanks, but the quality of their passes was not up to standard. After two consecutive passes, Morientes shrugged helplessly in the penalty area.
On Ajax's side, Qin Xiong continued his lively performance in the midfield, doing his best to link up the entire attacking system in the front field.
Ajax's strategy in the front field was to accumulate advantages in the flanks, and after pushing into the danger zone, suddenly switch to the middle or the other flank. This kind of offensive coordination was Qin Xiong's specialty.
In the 14th minute of the match, he and Van Der Vaart made an exchange of passes on the left flank of the front field. Noticing that there was a problem with Kikes's movement rhythm, Qin Xiong decisively started to dribble past him, shifting the attack from the flank to the middle.
He dribbled forward in the middle, constantly attracting the attention of Monaco's defenders to create space for Pinard to cut into the penalty area, and then sent a straight ball in at the right time!
"Pinard cuts into the penalty area, and Qin Xiong's wonderful straight ball, Pinard shoots! Oh my God, how can he shoot so ridiculously? Does he think he's a Monaco defender? This shot is simply helping the opponent out! "
The fans in the stands could not help but applaud for the team, praising Qin Xiong's wonderful pass and encouraging Pinard to perform better the next time he grasped the opportunity.
The hidden dangers hidden under Ajax's advantage were also very glaring.
Comain was still unable to improve the defensive quality of the team in the face of the opponent's frenzied attacks.
There were some natural moats that could not be crossed except for time.
For example, Heitinga and De Jong's defensive capabilities needed to be improved. This was not something that could be improved immediately by the manager waving his whip and telling them to train.
Compared to offense, which had a high margin for error, defense had an extremely low margin for error and had a much higher requirement for one's strength.
Qin Xiong would also make mistakes, but as long as he did not make mistakes in dangerous areas, he would basically not cause big trouble. However, it was different for defensive players. Not to mention making mistakes in dangerous areas, even a slight distraction could make them regret it.
Of all the opponents Ajax had faced in the Champions League this season, Monaco's offense was probably the most passionate and unrestrained. Even AC Milan could not compare. AC Milan relied on their overall suppression to defeat Ajax.
Whether it was Chelsea or Arsenal, they were not as persistent and crazy as Monaco in their offense.
Coincidentally, Ajax's advantage was offense. His defense was definitely not the best in the world. It could barely reach the first-class level.
When Monaco had to throw themselves into the offense, Ajax would occasionally have a feeling of trepidation.
If the opponent scored a goal first, the situation would be turned upside down!
In the 23rd minute of the game, Giuly cut into the penalty area and Ibarra crossed from the side. Morientes headed the ball over. Giuly got a chance to shoot after getting rid of the defense and almost pierced through Lobonte's fingers. Giuly's shot hit the post and bounced out of the end line.
Didier Deschamps held his head and bent over on the sidelines. He almost went to celebrate.
Comain wiped his cold sweat. If the overall score really became 2: 3, Ajax would be really difficult to play.
Because they did not even have a fulcrum center forward.
As soon as Monaco shrank their defensive line, Ajax almost had to return to the offensive state of the second leg against Arsenal. He could only try his luck outside and wait for the opponent to make a mistake.
In fact, Ajax created a lot of chances in the game. It seemed to be a lot more than Monaco, but he did not do a good job in grasping the opportunities.
Qin Xiong was also under less pressure than in the previous game. In addition to the opponent's eagerness to attack and weakening the defense, there was also Van Der Vaart acting as a shadow forward to contain him. As long as the opponent's center back did not dare to expose the area behind him to be attacked by Ajax, then Qin Xiong's space to move outside the penalty area in the front field would not be reduced too much. After all, the opponent's three midfielders always had to be vigilant of Van Der Vaart's position and mark him.
After 30 minutes of the match, Jax still didn't manage to score, but Monaco hit the goalpost with a shot, and they continued to attack from both sides to create chances. The fans of Jax in the stands were a little nervous.
They were worried that Monaco would score a goal first.
Monaco's rear defensive line had calmed down. They had figured out Ajax's offensive posture. Without Ibrahimovic, Ajax's attacking method of receiving passes from the wings in the penalty area no longer existed. At least, it was impossible for anyone to win against Monaco's defenders with a high flying ball. Even once, it was almost impossible!
So their strategy became simple. They gave up on defending the wings and concentrated on compressing the space in the middle and the penalty area.
If Ajax wanted to pass from the wings, go ahead!
This imperceptibly increased the difficulty of Ajax's offense.
When the opponent's defense became more and more confident, Qin Xiong was constantly thinking about how to play an unexpected offensive combination.
Without any surprises, it would be very difficult to create an excellent opportunity to shoot. There had to be even more exquisite coordination!
In the 34th minute of the game, he controlled the ball in front of the penalty area and did not send the ball out. Kierkes was pestering him, which he could deal with easily. Qin Xiong, who had experienced the baptism of Gattuso, van Bommel, Vieira, Silva, Makelele, and Lampard this season, had accumulated a wealth of experience in physical confrontations in offense. He knew how to defend against the opponent's pestering while protecting the ball. As long as the opponent did not use any moves that were outside of the rules, he could at least have the advantage in possession of the ball on a balanced level in physical confrontations.
He did not send the ball out and looked a little sluggish. He was waiting for his teammates to start running!
Van Der Vaart ran forward from the middle outside the penalty area. His movement was too obvious. Cisse and Rodriguez flanked Van Der Vaart from the front and back. Cisse deliberately blocked the passing route between Qin Xiong and Van Der Vaart.
Qin Xiong did not show any signs of passing the ball. But just as Van Der Vaart was halfway through his movement, Pinard cut inside from the right flank and ran into the penalty area. He was closer to Qin Xiong. At that moment, Qin Xiong raised his leg and was about to pass the ball.
Bernardi immediately moved horizontally to block the space between Qin Xiong and Pinard's passing route. Evra also secretly used his hand to tug at Pinard's jersey and stuck to him like a dog-skin plaster.
Monaco's defenders were calm and steady.
Van Der Vaart covered and Pinard attacked.
This was the ingenuity of Ajax's offense!
They are all restricted by us. Your pass will definitely be intercepted by us!
Just as Monaco's players were very confident in dealing with this defense, Qin Xiong's right foot did not send the ball out. Instead, he clipped the ball back to the other side of his body.
This shocked Kierkes, who was about to steal the ball with his foot.
Qin Xiong suddenly turned from his side to the other side.
Turning back, Qin Xiong clipped the ball, turned around, and passed the ball. His movements were smooth.
In the left flank area of the penalty area, Snede cut inside and Qin Xiong's pass came as expected!
Monaco's entire defensive line did not expect Qin Xiong to make such a move. And when he decided to send the ball out, he did not hesitate at all.
Ibarra did not follow Snede. Rodriguez gave up on Van Der Vaart to attack Snede.
He had just moved over when Snede chose to pass the ball when he had the chance to shoot!
His pass went through Rodriguez's gap and the football rolled to the side of Van Der Vaart, who was behind Rodriguez.
Van Der Vaart did not hesitate to shoot. The distance to the goal was even closer than the penalty spot. The Dutch golden boy's shot was powerful and heavy. The goalkeeper, Roma, had no time to react. The football flew past in front of him and into the goal behind him in the blink of an eye!
Amsterdam Stadium was in an uproar!
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