Ajax regain top spot in Eredivisie on an emotional day in Amsterdam
Sunday 3 April 2016 20:13, UK
Ajax regained top spot in the Eredivisie as they swept aside PEC Zwolle 3-0 on an emotional afternoon at the Amsterdam Arena.
Frank de Boer's side swapped places with PSV Eindhoven once again, re-establishing a two-point lead over their rivals with five games left to play, after scoring three times in the first half.
Lasse Schone put the hosts in front in the third minute with an excellent header and Arkadiusz Milik then added fine strikes in the 30th and 41st minutes, taking his Eredivisie tally for the season to 18.
Just as in Holland's friendly against France the previous week at the same venue, the match came to temporary halt in the 14th minute as the players joined in a rapturous round of applause in tribute to the late, great Johan Cruyff.
That was among a host of different ways in which respects were paid at the stadium to Cruyff, who died at the age of 68 on March 24 and famously wore the number 14 during his career.
Ahead of kick-off, the pitch had huge representations laid across it of the three shirts Cruyff was best known for wearing during his playing career, with an Ajax one on the centre circle flanked by those of Holland and Barcelona.
Meanwhile, thousands in the stands held up coloured pieces of plastic to spell out Cruyff's name, as well as '1947-2016'.
And, as at all Eredivisie matches over the weekend, there was a moment of silence just prior to the action getting under way. A host of former Ajax players, along with Cruyff's son Jordi, were among those in attendance.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Groningen stopped the rot, halting their losing streak at six matches by winning 1-0 at ADO Den Haag.
The visitors managed to secure victory, despite having Michael De Leeuw sent off around the half-hour, with Rasmus Lindgren notching the winner with 13 minutes to go.
NEC Nijmegen moved up to eighth, level on points with seventh-placed Vitesse Arnhem, with a 2-1 home victory over them.
Anthony Limbombe and Dario Dumic put the home side 2-0 up before Lewis Baker's late reply.
Sunday's other game saw Branco van den Boomen's late goal seal a 2-1 triumph for Heerenveen at Roda JC.
Tom van Hyfte had earlier cancelled out Arber Zeneli's opener for Heerenveen.
