Koeman takes comfort from stalemate

AFC Ajax coach Ronald Koeman left Trondheim a satisfied man despite the Dutch champions goalless draw against Rosenborg BK in their UEFA Champions League D game.

'Defence did a good job'
Koeman saw his side contain their spirited Norwegian opposition but fail to find a breakthrough at the other end. Koeman said: "It wasn't a great match, but defensively we were pretty good. Our goalkeeper [Joey] Didulica had a good game and I thought [André] Bergdølmo and rest of the defenders did a good job. I don't think Rosenborg deserved to win and overall we are satisfied with the result."

'Too many long balls'
Koeman, however, admitted that his side were capable of playing much better, feeling they had been hurried into employing a more direct approach. "I wasn't too happy with our attack although we played too many long balls," he said. "Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] was probably the better of our two frontmen, but he was caught offside on too many occasions."

'Exciting right to the end'
Olympique Lyonnais' surprise 2-1 victory at Internazionale FC has opened up the group once more and Koeman believes that qualification for the second group stage would come down to the last game. "It's a really tight group and it will certainly be exciting right to the end," he addd. "Nine or ten points should take us through."

Happy return
Central defender Bergdølmo, who along with captain Cristian Chivu formed a formidable central defensive wall, was returning to the club for the first time since his summer move to Amsterdam.  "I was really excited before meeting my old team-mates," he said. "Rosenborg are not easy to play against at home but I think we kept their chances down to a minimum."

Eggen faces facts
Koeman's opposite number Nils Arne Eggen faced up to the fact that his team were all but facing elimination from the competition as the result kept them rooted to the bottom of the group. "It's going to be very difficult," he said. "We need to start winning our away games - and we haven't been able to do that recently."

'In control'
Eggen also felt that overall his side lacked a cutting edge in front of goal and did not create enough clear-cut chances. "We were in control for most of the game but half chances are not good enough at this level," he continued. "Defensively, we have improved since the Lyon defeat, but we need goals."

Penalty decision
The 60-year-old's mood was not cheered after watching a video of Dagfinn Enerly's late tumble in the area following a challenge by Ajax defender Jelle van Damme. He said: "It looked like a penalty, but it was difficult for the referee to see and you can't expect every decision to go in our favour."

Sights set on UEFA Cup
Enerly was in no doubt that he should have been awarded a spot-kick and the diminutive winger said: "I think I deserved a penalty. We had the edge but did not create enough chances". Midfield player Ørjan Berg added: "We lost our sting in the attack when [Harald Martin] Brattbakk and [Frode] Johnsen had to leave the pitch because of the injuries. I still think we can finish in the top three and qualify for the UEFA Cup."