Friday, March 29, 2024

Barry on song as Villa edge Ajax

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 24 Oct 2008

69 Views

Aston Villa thanked England man Gareth Barry for the winner on Thursday as he clinched a 2-1 opening UEFA Cup group match victory over fellow former European champions Ajax.

Villa coach Martin O'Neill had already put one over the Dutch in the Champions League during his time at Celtic and here he saw Barry add to Martin Laursen's opener to sandwich an Ajax reply through Thomas Vermaelen.

The three points mean that Villa, European Cup winners in 1982, can be confident of getting out of a Group F which includes German league leaders Hamburg, who won 2-1 at Slovakia's MSK Zilina.

O'Neill, a European champion with Nottingham Forest, was full of praise for his men as they held Marco Van Basten's side at bay.

“I thought we were brilliant, I thought we deserved to win the game,” O'Neill told broadcaster Five.

“Of course it was going to be tight – Ajax are a very good side.

“We've got good players as well; I thought we were magnificent,” said the northern Irishman, who led Celtic to the 2003 UEFA Cup final, going down to a Porto team coached by Jose Mourinho.

Barry also agreed the win was well-deserved.

“Overall we deserved the win. We knew they were going to have a lot of possession but it's the scoreline that counts.

“It was very important we started with a win especially at home. It sets us up nicely,” Barry said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SoccerNews

Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.

You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

Live Scores

advertisement

Betting Guide Advertisement

advertisement

Become a Writer
More More
Top