Mika Vayrynen scored two goals Wednesday as SC Heerenveen hammered Ajax 4-1 on a partially snowbound pitch and breathed new life into the Dutch title race.
The makeup game offered Ajax the chance to open up a nine-point gap on defending champion PSV Eindhoven with 12 rounds remaining, but Guus Hiddink's side now trails by just six with a much better goal difference.
"We played well in the first half but after 2-0 we just let ourselves be slaughtered," Ajax coach Ronald Koeman told Dutch television. "We lacked bite up front and should have scored twice early on.
"We're still six points clear but we'll need to pick it up again at Utrecht on Sunday."
The victory capped a wonderful few days for the northern club, whose veteran coach Foppe de Haan will retire at the end of the season. Heerenveen edged PSV 3-2 last Saturday and now stands fifth with every chance of achieving De Haan's goal of a UEFA Cup berth in his last season.
Vayrynen broke open a fascinating midfield battle in the 44th minute with a close-range snapshot in off the post.
Lack of aggression in the Ajax defense led to the goal. Ex-Ajax midfielder Richard Knopper was allowed two attempts at a center and as the ball bounced around the box Ajax players missed more than one chance to clear.
Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg's unwillingness to catch rather than punch produced the second goal in the 59th. Knopper leapt in the air and bicycle-kicked a stunning volley into the roof of the net via the head of Ajax defender Julien Escude.
When Vayrynen was allowed to waltz through the Ajax defense with a series of short combinations and make it 3-0 in the 74th minute, the game was over.
Jesper Hakansson embarrassed Stekelenburg with a dipping volley which caught the goalkeeper off his line for the fourth, and only an irrelevant late own-goal from Heerenveen's Swedish defender Petter Hansson got the Amsterdammers on the score sheet.
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