Error and penalty save: Van der Vaart criticises ter Stegen's build-up play
Ajax, with Marc-André ter Stegen and two-goal Julian Brandt, won 5-2 at Groningen. Klopp's number one erred before a goal but saved a penalty – Rafael van der Vaart was critical.
Archive image · Photo: Michael Kranewitter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Ajax Amsterdam won 5-2 (2-0) at FC Groningen in the Eredivisie on Sunday. Julian Brandt scored the opener in the 27th minute and later made it 3-1 – according to SPORT1 his sixth league goal of the season. Jorthy Mokio added two more. Ajax are fourth, five points behind leaders Feyenoord.
Marc-André ter Stegen, whom national coach Jürgen Klopp has named Germany's number one, played a pass to Marcos Leonardo, who lost the ball, leading to Thom van Bergen's goal for 5-2. In stoppage time the goalkeeper saved a penalty from van Bergen.
Former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart told broadcaster NOS, according to SPORT1: "He is the man with experience, but he kept playing out from the back." Against Groningen's high press he should have switched earlier: "At some point as a goalkeeper you have to conclude: we play the long ball."