Ajax secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over VVV-Venlo in a club friendly on Saturday, with the Dutch side showing the kind of control that suggests they should have too much for most opposition this campaign. The match took place at the De Koel, where the visitors worked a short corner routine early and never looked back. To be fair, VVV-Venlo had not been out of form, having won four of their five recent friendlies, but this fixture belonged to another level.
The opening goal came at the twenty-nine minute mark when A. Gaaei finished a well-worked move, but the game truly shifted when Marcos Leonardo converted a penalty at thirty-five. VVV-Venlo's defence threw bodies in the way but could not contain the pressure. By then, the visitors had already registered seven attacks compared to their hosts' four, and the pattern was set for a one-sided affair.
The second half brought further changes, with both sides making tactical adjustments. H. Jurjus and P. Reverson came on for VVV-Venlo at the interval, while Caio Henrique and A. Plat joined the Ajax side at sixty minutes. Marcos Leonardo was replaced at seventy-one, having done enough to justify his earlier penalty conversion. The match turned sharply at eighty minutes when J. Heerkens produced an own goal, adding a third to the visitors' tally.
Discipline proved costly for VVV-Venlo as E. Schouten received two yellow cards within twenty-one minutes, the second earning a red at the eighty-sixth minute. The defender had already been cautioned at sixty-five, and his dismissal came with just over twenty minutes remaining. N. Doodeman was brought on at eighty-eight, and T. Arokodare scored Ajax's fourth goal at the same minute, though this came after the visitors had already secured their result.
The statistics tell the story that the match displayed. Ajax enjoyed sixty-four per cent possession and created six big chances, while VVV-Venlo managed none. The visitors registered six shots on target with twenty-nine per cent accuracy, compared to zero shots on target for their hosts. Expected goals figures of 3.23 for Ajax against 0.11 for VVV-Venlo reflected what occurred on the pitch.
And here's the thing about friendlies — they matter less for what they prove and more for what they reveal. The result leaves Ajax looking composed ahead of their Eredivisie campaign, while VVV-Venlo will take heart from their earlier victories despite this outing. Three goals conceded and a red card provide plenty to review, but the core of both squads appears ready.