Vlcek and the cogs

Motivated

We didn't see many fluent attacks or combinations. Slavia looked just a tad more at ease - at least they could find their men once in a while - and a lot more motivated for some reason, maybe because this was their fifth attempt at reaching the Champions League, a mission they had failed in up to now.

Vlcek

Slavia captain Vlcek managed to fumble two balls into the back of the net and Ajax' Suárez just the one, resulting in a well-deserved win for the Czechs. Ajax never looked anywhere near their own standard and created very little chances. It has to be said though that the Slavia goalkeeper made some excellent saves. If it weren't for him, we might have seen a different result.

Larsen

Larsen was largely invisible in this match. He controlled the match well and didn't make mistakes. Trying to speed up the game he allowed for play to continue wherever possible. It didn't help much, but he is to be commended for his efforts.