Robin van Persie was kicked, battered and booed in the final of the Amsterdam Tournament last night, but he had the last laugh by scoring in the 88th minute to secure the trophy for Arsenal and perhaps prove that the young side will stand up for themselves this season.
The Arsenal striker has never been popular in this city, having played for Feyenoord, and he was a marked man from the off.
He had to be restrained after an hour when he was head to head on the pitch with Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen after what appeared to be an elbow in the face from the Belgian international.
And moments after he scored with his right foot, Van Persie was booted out of the game by Ajax midfielder John Heitinga. He was kicked on the same foot which he broke six months ago and had to be carried off on a stretcher.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was so angry about the behaviour of the Ajax players that he confronted Ajax manager Henk ten Cate in front of the dugout.
Wenger said: "I was disappointed with the tackle on Robin van Persie but at least it looks like he is all right. I was disappointed with some of the other challenges, too. Ajax went a little overboard. It helped us to know that there would be suspensions in England if we reacted badly."
But Ajax boss Ten Cate was unrepentant. He said: "Why should I say sorry? Arsenal have this stuff in the Premiership every week.Do they think it is easy when they come here? I actually think football in England is rougher and tougher. I have no problems with the way my players behaved.
"They were too good for us.They are on a different level but I cannot believe how Arsenal approach their games. Wenger only plays with one striker. For a club with so much money and great players, I think that is not the bravest attitude of their manager."
Ajax midfielder Heitinga said: 'Arsenal are too good at this moment for us, and probably for many clubs in Europe.They will be serious contenders for the English title, even with so many young players.
They showed they have real class, because we did rough them up tonight. 'I said sorry to Robin, because I did not mean to kick him so badly. I was relieved when I saw he could walk again after he was stretchered off.
"We are team-mates in the Dutch national side. He showed that he is the star player now for Arsenal. We could not stop him."
The Ajax defenders could only stop Van Persie by hanging on his shirt, kicking him from behind and elbowing him. It led to several free-kicks for Arsenal. Van Persie was brought down for the first time on the edge of the penalty box after 10 minutes.The kick was taken by Tomas Rosicky, who saw his deflected shot blocked by by Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Only eight minutes later,Van Persie — again after he was fouled — was awarded a free-kick and produced a wonderful lob over the Ajax defence,to Kolo Toure.The Arsenal defender should have scored when he volleyed the ball straight on to the body of Stekelenburg.
After 26 minutes the Arsenal bench jumped up when Van Persie was brought down on his way to goal.The Dutchman had a clear run but defender Jurgen Colin used a ferocious tackle to stop him. To the amazement of every Arsenal player, Dutch referee Kevin Blom only handed out a yellow card, where a red one would have been more appropriate. Emmanuel Eboue protested so strongly he was booked for dissent.
Van Persie did not hide his frustrations in Dutch to fellow countryman Blom, either, but he escaped a booking. Clearly agitated by the way Ajax players were behaving and Colin in particular, Van Persie sought his revenge before half time when he tackled Colin from behind.This time Blom showed no mercy and jotted down Van Persie's name.
This is not the first time the Amsterdam Tournament has created controversy. Last year Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were sent off in Amsterdam and therefore missed the start of the English season. Rooney was suspended for four matches by the FA on his return home.
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