There’s always someone in a party starting about one of those fantastic matches between Feyenoord and Ajax. One of those matches seldom talked about in Amsterdam. Like that cup match where Mike Obiku wrong-footed the Ajax defence in over-time and scored. That match of March the 8th 1995 is yet to become immortal, it still has to sink in, ripe if you like. That already is the case with the match of November the 11th 1956. That was when Feyenoord hammered Ajax 7-3, with four goals by Daan den Bleijker. Or that 9-5 of august 1960 with four goals by Henk Schouten. And that historic Feyenoord-Ajax of November the 29th 1964, final score 9-4, with five goals by Hans Venneker. Years later the Ajax supporters would still claim that their keeper Bertus Hoogerman was wearing his wife’s contact lenses. Rubbish, of course. Feyenoord was just too good.

No matter how chuffed everyone was on the trip home back from Milan, to many the final had already taken place months earlier. Then Feyenoord beat AC Milan and in those days AC Milan meant the top of European football. Nobody would give two pennies for Feyenoord’s chances, no one but Ernst Happel. Months later there would still be disbelief when spoken of that goal by Wim Jansen on November the 26th of 1969. No one had expected that goal., certainly not Wim Jansen himself and least of all reporter Theo Koomen. He brought his match report out on record, including his remark when thinking that the ball went over the crossbar but it turned out to be a goal: “It’s gone in, it’s gone in!'

Sorce: o.a. Feyenoord Compleet, Waanders Uitgevers / Mr. J. Oudenaarden