Hajduk Split 0–0 AFC Ajax was a football match between Hajduk Split and AFC Ajax on 1 March 1995 at the Poljud stadium in the City of Split, Croatia. It was the first leg of a quarter-final tie in the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. This match is considered to be the most important in modern Croatian football.
Background
Both teams had qualified for the Champions league by winning their respective national league championships. Hajduk Split won the 1993–94 Croatian First Football League, finishing one point ahead of second-placed NK Zagreb.[1] AFC Ajax qualified by winning the 1993–94 Eredivisie, three points ahead of second-placed Feyenoord.[2]
Hajduk Split had created a special team for the 1994–95 Champions League. With players like Igor Štimac, Nenad Pralija, Goran Vučević, Aljoša Asanović, Milan Rapaić and under the leadership of coach Ivan Katalinić, they were ready to compete with the big teams in Europe. They managed to qualify for the Champions league group stage after demolishing Legia Warsaw 5-0 in the two legs of the qualifying round. In the Group C of the Champions league, Hajduk managed to defeat Anderlecht 2-1 on home ground and Steaua 1-0 on away ground. The managed to draw with S.L. Benfica on home ground and Anderlecht on away ground. The two defeats came from Benfica and Steaua. Hajduk finished 2nd in the group behind Benfica with 6 points and managed to qualify for their 3rd Champions League quarter-final (their previous quarter-finals were in 1976 and 1980).
AFC Ajax at the time had a squad full of world class players such as Edwin van der Sar, Frank de Boer, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars and etc. Under the leadership of Louis van Gaal, Ajax easily made it through the group stage. The finished 1st in the group with 5 points more than the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League winners A.C. Milan and Ajax even managed to defeat them on the San Siro with 2-0.[3]
Match
The first leg of the match was hosted by Hajduk in the City of Split, Croatia. At the time, Croatia was in a state of war but the City of Split itself was in no fear of danger. The match sparked intense attention. The Poljud stadium at the time had a capacity of 33,000 but it is expected that more than 40,000 people attended the game.
The game itself was a hard one. Hajduk only had one serious chance when a long range effort from Nenad Pralija went straight into Edwin van der Sar. Ajax dominated the game but Hajduk managed to form a solid defense and sustain their attacks. The best chances for Ajax were two short range efforts from Patrick Kluivert and Jari Litmanen which were both saved by the Hajduk goalkeeper Tonči Gabrić.[4]
Details
Aftermath
The draw against Ajax was seen as a great success by Hajduk. In the 2nd leg of the quarter-final, Ajax finally broke the Hajduk defense and won 3-0 with the goals of Nwankwo Kanu and Frank de Boer. After crushing FC Bayern Munich 5-2 in the semi-finals, Ajax made it to the final where they defeated AC Milan with Kluivert scoring the only goal and thus winning the 1994-95 champions league.
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| See also: International women's club football |
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