After the 1-0 victory over Ajax, the battled but frenzied players of AZ ran onto the field one more time to celebrate with the remaining supporters.

Quickly, players and supporters raised the Myron Boadu song, composed for the eighteen-year-old number nine who, early on Sunday evening, with a header not only saved the competition, but also fueled the belief in a third national title for Alkmaar  Myron Boadu.

Because with one more round to go, Ajax have been leading their North Holland neighbors AZ, a talented group of youngsters who have  grown to be serious challengers to perennial winners Ajax.

The clash between the two best footballing teams in the Netherlands had already long and wide culminated in an (interesting) chess game, when Hugo Hovenkamp complained.

Hovenkamp is not the first the best in Alkmaar. He was there when AZ first became Dutch champion in 1981, as a captain. Nowadays he is part of the scouting team at  AZ.

"That boy has something mysterious" It was about Myron Boadu, the young top scorer from AZ. "He plays football on rubber," complained the flying back of yesteryear. "How is that possible? We used to play on pins of 21 millimeters, but those boys of today have to play on those ballet shoes if necessary. I only know one person who could play with rubber studs on every pitch and that was Johan Cruijff. Hovenkamp's words were barely muffled, or AZ got a corner there in the last minute of regular playing time. Fredrik Midtsjø let the ball run in from the left with his right, after which Boadu, miserably covered by Perr Schuurs, let the ball slip into André Onana's goal. Good for his 11th goal of the season.

The execution was great with the teenager, who had walked with his soul under his arm at Old Trafford last Thursday evening, because he was suspended for the duel with the team he has been a fan all his life.

He wanted to score there, just like he did during his Orange-debut against Estonia. "Which one I liked better? I think this. Of course I also think my first international goal is special, but the discharge at everything and everyone today in the stadium felt really good. ”

The choice of his rubber shoes had indeed not been the best, he admitted frantically afterwards. "I should have just put long iron studs underneath," he said guiltyly. "That's why I slipped a few times and shot once, that was a pity. Normally it doesn't bother me. It wasn't my best match, but you have to wait for the moment in matches like this. ”    

"This one was better than my first international goal" Also present during the top match was Kees Kist, the goal-getter of the first AZ-championship champion and the first Dutch top scorer in Europe. Kist had also seen that Boadu had wasted three chances, but the former top striker nevertheless sees a great future for Boadu.

"Of course he still misses too many opportunities, but that has to do with age. Boadu is elusive, does things you don't expect. That's the mystery about that boy.

" The striker from Holendrecht in Amsterdam, saliently tested by Ajax on his twelfth birthday, is not secretive about the Alkmaar champions' aspirations. "Look at the rankings: I think everyone is going to take us into account and that we are candidates."     "like Ajax, we are able to win all matches" The big question is whether the open-minded but inexperienced AZ can sustain the champion race with the purified title defender. "We just have to look at that per match, because Ajax won't lose many matches," Boadu throws out a thunderous cliché. But then there is the bravery that characterizes the men of Arne Slot: “But I tell you: we are able, just like Ajax, to win all matches. It will be an interesting race. Sunday just waiting for Sparta-out again. We have to win that race, otherwise today's victory would have had no value. "