MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Uruguayan players miss out on Champions League
Uruguayan International players Luis Suarez and Bruno Silva have expressed their disappointment at missing out on the opportunity to play in next season's Champions League as their team Ajax of Amsterdam surprisingly missed out after a series of play-off games.
Ajax who historically won the European Cup three years in succession in 1971, 72 & 73, and the Champions League in 1995 were held at home 0-0 by unfancied Twente after having lost the first leg 2-1 a week ago. So it is Twente from Enschede on the Dutch/German border who join PSV Eindhoven in next season lucrative tournament. Ajax will go into the less attractive UEFA Cup. 21 year old Uruguayan hot-shot Luis Suarez almost won the tie for Ajax in the 71st minute when his fierce shot seemed to be heading into the top corner of the goal, but Twente goal-keeper Sander Boschker pulled off a fantastic save to deny the Uruguayan. Boschker has been named in the provisional Dutch selection for the Euro '08 Championships next month. Suarez scored an important 'away' goal for Ajax in the 1st leg a week ago but Twente came back in the 2nd half to score twice through their Congo born striker Blaise N'Kufo. However most experts expected Ajax to overturn the defecit in their own stadium in front of 45,000 fanatical fans. After the game Suarez was too distraught to talk to the press about the shock ommission of Ajax from the Champions League. However 28 year old defender Bruno Silva, who played for Danubio in Uruguay before transferring to Groningen in Holland, said that it was ' the cruellest day of his footballing career'. Silva who moved to Ajax after two and half years at Groningen, on a 4 years contract in January, praised the Twente goalkeeper Boschker for pulling off several incredible saves. Recalled to the Uruguayan selection for the forthcoming World Cup Qualifying games, Silva said that he could not believe how Twente survived the intense pressure which Ajax excerted. "I thought I had scored in the lst half but Boschker somehow saved my shot -we just could not get past him". Silva has firmly settled at Ajax and is now the proud father of an 11 month old baby daughter. He said, 'The game here is much faster than in Uruguay, the stadiums are different and the spectators react differently but I'm enjoying every minute of playing football here'. 'I'm also pleased that by playing at this level I have been called up for the 'Seleccion' and hope we can make it to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Missing out on a Champions League place will cost Ajax around 20 million Euros, while Twente, who are in the process of increasing their stadium capacity to 22,000, have an unexpected windfall. Under the present system employed in Holland teams that finish from 2nd to 5th positions play against each other to decide which of them will join the Title winners in the Champions League. After much discontent the current play-off system will be abandoned next season and the runners-up will automatically go into the Champions League. One man who is celebrating is tall Brazilian central defender Douglas, who recently joined Twente, and had an outstanding game against the Dutch international striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Douglas was preparing to play in the UEFA Cup next season but instead he will now be taking his place against the footballing giants like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Patrick Watts - MercoPress - Amsterdam.
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