Game #4991
Aston Villa
Thursday, 23 October 2008


Won
Group F
Last 5: 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟨 🟩
UEFA Cup
AFC Ajax
Villa Park
Attendance: 36,657
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
Aston Villa
2-1

AFC Ajax

Assist(s) | Ashley Young | 8’ | 45’ |
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park


MATCH TIMELINE
Thursday, 23 October 2008
⚽ | 8’ Goal, 1-0, Martin Laursen, Assist by Ashley Young
🥅 | 22’ Goal, 1-1, (AFC Ajax), Thomas Vermaelen
⚽ | 45’ Goal, 2-1, Gareth Barry, Assist by Ashley Young
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 2-1 AFC Ajax
🟨 | 75’ Booking, Carlos Cuéllar
🔁 | 81’ Sub off Nigel Reo-Coker, Sub on, Craig Gardner
🟨 | 85’ Booking, Craig Gardner
🔁 | 90’+3 Sub off, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Sub on, Curtis Davies
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 2-1 AFC Ajax
Match Statistics
Not recorded
Goal ⚽, Assist 🔥, Goal Conceded 🥅, Injury 🚑, Booking 🟨, Sending off 🟥, Comment 🗒️, ❗ Villa Chance,❗❗Huge Villa Chance, 💥 Opposition action, 🎥 VAR, 🆘 Referee error, ❌ Missed pen, disallowed goal, player retires from field of play, 🟢 Debut, 🔴 Final appearance, 🕒 Half time, Full time, 🔁 Substitution
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park

ON THIS DAY
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Villa beat footballing great Marco van Basten's Ajax featuring Gabri, Huntelaar and Luis Suárez to win their opening game in UEFA Cup Group F.
Villa face AFC Ajax for the first time in competitive football, Ajax become the 154th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 37th continental European opponents and their first from Holland.
Villa bounce back from their mini League wobble with a resilient victory against Ajax at Villa Park in one of the best European nights since the Inter Milan victories of the 90's.
Curtis Davies makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (21 Starts) to make it W13 D7 L5, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.
Nigel Reo-Coker secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 53rd appearance to make it W25 D15 L13, 3 Goals, 4 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park

DEBUT APPEARANCES
None
FINAL APPEARANCES
None
Seasons | 🕒 Games | ✅ Starts (🔁 Subs) | ⚽ Goals | 🔥 Assists | 🇺 Unused | Player Number |
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
AFC Ajax


European Cup / Champions League: 🏆🏆🏆🏆
European Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
UEFA Cup / Europa League: 🏆
Dutch Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆 (29)
KNVB Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆 (17)
Last Trophy: 2006-07
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
FIXTURE DETAILS


Season | 2008-09 |
Matchday | #16 |
Manager Game | #99 |
Thursday, 23 October 2008
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🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
MATCH SUMMARY


Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Thomas Einwaller | 🇦🇹 | Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser, 1997-2012
Kick off: 8.15pm
HT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟨 🟩
MANAGERIAL RECORD

Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 2006-2010
🕒 99 | 🟩 | 38 🟨 | 34 🟥 27 | 1.49
Villa Career Form:
Top 8
Games 🕒, Won 🟩, Drew 🟨, Lost 🟥, Points per Game
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Thomas Einwaller | 🇦🇹 | Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser, 1997-2012
Matches Officiated: 1
🟩 : 1
🟨 : 0
🟥 : 0
🆘 : 0
Previous 5: None
Last Match: None
Cards: 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Armin Eder, Andreas Heiß
VAR PROFILE (from 2021)
CARDS

🟨 Carlos Cuéllar
🟨 Craig Gardner
CARDS

None
Won 🟩, Drew 🟨, Lost 🟥, Notably poor performance 🆘, Cards 🟨 Booking, Cards 🟥 Sending off, Disallowed ❌ Goal disallowed, ⚽ Penalty for, 🥅 Penalty against, ❌ Penalty Disallowed
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park

TEAM NEWS
TEAM STATS
Martin O'Neill resists the temptation to make his usual changes for Cup games and names a strong line up for the visit of the Dutch giants with only Luke Young and Nicky Shorey replacing Curtis Davies and John Carew.
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.54 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 37.46 |
Youngest Player |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 22.04 |
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 2006-2010

Aston Villa
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 | ⚽ |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 | 🟨 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | ⚽ |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 | 🔁 |
W James Milner | 🏴 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 | 🔥 | 🔥 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 🔁 |
MANAGER
Marco van Basten | 🇳🇱 |

AFC Ajax
GK Kenneth Vermeer | 🇳🇱 |
CB Oleguer | 🇪🇸 | 🔁 |
CB Thomas Vermaelen | 🇧🇪 | ⚽ |
CB Vertonghen | 🇧🇪 |
CB Rasmus Lindgren | 🇸🇪 |
RB Bruno Silva | 🇺🇾 |
M Urby Emanuelson | 🇳🇱 |
M Gabri | 🇪🇸 |
M Jeffrey Sarpong | 🇳🇱 | 🔁 |
CF Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | 🇳🇱 |
CF Luis Suárez | 🇺🇾 | 🔁 |
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
SUBSTITUTES

🔁 M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 🟨 | for M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 | 81’ |
🔁 CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 | for F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 90’+3 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CB Oleguer | 🇪🇸 | (RB Gregory van den Wiel | 🇳🇱 |)
🔁 | M Jeffrey Sarpong | 🇳🇱 | (CF Darío Cvitanich | 🇦🇷 |)
🔁 | CF Luis Suárez | 🇺🇾 | (F Leonardo | 🇳🇱 |)

🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
CB Zat Knight | 🏴 |
M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 |
M Moustapha Salifou | 🇹🇬 |
CF Marlon Harewood | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

GK Hans Vonk | 🇿🇦 |
CB Robbert Schilder | 🇳🇱 |
M Vurnon Anita | 🇨🇼 |
M Evander Sno | 🇳🇱 |
Player Positions:
GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half
M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward
Match Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park

MATCHDAY SQUAD BIOGRAPHIES
STARTING XI
SUBSTITUTES
Player | 🕒 | 🔁 | ⚽ | 🔥 | 🟩 | 🟨 | 🟥 | 🥅 | ⛔ | Yellow | Red |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 | | 25 | 4* | 1 | 1 | 13* | 7 | 5 | - | - | 1 | 0 |
UNUSED
Player | 🇺 |
---|---|
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 | | 9* |
Games 🕒, Starts ✅, Substitute 🔁, Goals ⚽, Assists 🔥, Won 🟩, Drew 🟨, Lost 🟥, Conceded 🥅, Clean Sheets ⛔, Unused Substitute 🇺
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
SQUAD STATS

1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 2/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/18
Homegrown: 3/18
SQUAD STATS

1st XI:
Home Nation 🇳🇱 : 4/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🇳🇱 : 8/18
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
MATCHDAY SQUAD

MATCHDAY SQUAD

🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park
UNAVAILABLE

Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE

Not Recorded
LEAGUE TABLE


MATCHDAY PROGRAMME



🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park


MATCH QUOTES
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park


MATCH REPORTS






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*BBC Sport*
Thursday, 23 October 2008
🟩 23 Oct 2008, Villa 2-1 Ajax, Villa Park

