After that, Ajax went looking for an equalizer, but the Amsterdam side couldn’t create any big chances. Through right-back Hatem Trabelsi, Danny Blind’s team did get a big chance, but the defender’s effort went just wide.
After that, it was Mark van Bommel’s day. Just before halftime, the captain made it 0-2 after a long throw-in by Cocu, who then had the ball reach Van Bommel via Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, and the midfielder drilled it in at an angle.
A little more than a quarter of an hour after the restart, the born Maasbrachter completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute by converting a penalty, and in the 59th minute he fired the ball behind goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont to set the final score at 0-4. Between the two goals by the midfielder, goalkeeper Heurelho da Silva Gomes still had to make a save with a header from John Heitinga.