Ajax 0-4 Feyenoord: Santiago Gimenez completes his hat-trick FOUR DAYS after scoring the first two as De Klassieker finally resumes behind closed doors after furious home fans smashed up their stadium, leading to Eredivisie clash to be abandoned

• The game was initially suspended on Sunday after flares were thrown by fans
• Ajax have made a desperately poor start to the campaign and are now sat in 14th 
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

Feyenoord were at last able to complete their rout of arch-rivals Ajax on Wednesday, as the Eredivisie clash resumed four days after being called off due to fan disruption in the Dutch capital. 

Feyenoord were 3-0 up at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Sunday when the game was abandoned in the 56th minute as home fans threw flares and fireworks on to the pitch. 

However, despite four days passing in between, Santiago Gimenez was quick to complete his hat-trick on Wednesday within minutes of the restart, having scored twice four days earlier, Igor Paixao netting the other goal in the game. 

As a result of the disruption in the opening 55 minutes of the tie, the second part of the game was played behind closed doors to prevent further delays.

Both sets of players were led off the field by the referee, but police had to take action when furious Ajax fans tried to storm the stadium after the game had been abandoned. 

Santiago Gimenez completed his hat-trick four days after scoring the first two goals

The game had to be played in front of an empty ground after fan disruption from Sunday

Feyenoord completed the rout, having ended the first part 3-0 up thanks to Gimenez and Igor Paixao

Your browser does not support iframes.

Having seen out the win, Feyenoord move up to third in the Dutch top-flight, just a point behind early leaders PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar. 

Meanwhile the record winners are sat in 14th spot with just a single win after a dire start to the 2023-24 campaign, having lost their title to Feyenoord last term. 

Ajax were firmly of the opinion that the earliest the Feyenoord match should be resumed is during the first week of November, and were quick to voice their opinions with Dutch Cup clashes adding to the fixture congestion. 

A club statement read: ‘The competition and cup programme is now being adjusted by the KNVB for four clubs due to the completion of an abandoned match. Not only the clubs, but also the supporters are victims of this.’

The KNVB released their own statement saying the abandoned Eredivisie game had to be completed ‘as soon as possible’ to ensure the competition remained fair.

Frustration among Ajax fans boiled over on Sunday after an underwhelming start to the new season. 

After missing out on Champions League qualification last season, the Dutch giants have won just one league game so far this term under head coach Maurice Steijn.

The game against Feyenoord was paused twice before eventually being suspended when flares and fireworks were thrown from the crowd.

Ajax have made a miserable start to the new Eredivisie season, winning just once as they sit 14th in the table

Dutch police were seen using tear gas to disperse crowds that gathered outside of the stadium after the game had been suspended

Ajax’s suspended fixture against Feyenoord was played on Wednesday afternoon after crowd trouble on Sunday

Some supporters tried to break back into the stadium after the game had been suspended, causing damage to the ground as they began to vandalise their own stadium. 

Police then used tear gas to disperse crowds that gathered outside the Johan Cruyff Arena, with videos appearing online that seemed to show some fans attempting to break into the stadium.

Ajax distanced themselves from the behaviour of the fans involved in the disorder, offering ‘heartfelt apologies’ to supporters caught up in the mayhem. 

Head coach Steijn called it a ‘jet black day’ for the club.

Fans started vandalising their own stadium after the game as the anger from the stands poured outside

Tear gas was used to repel supporters outside the stadium after the game was called off

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Read Full Article