Ajax vs Feyenoord: 5 Classic Encounters From Dutch Football's Klassieker

There's no doubting Dutch football's iteration of 'The Classic' between Ajax and Feyenoord is one of the most overlooked in terms of Europe's fiercest rivalries.

This is a derby rooted in deep city pride and an encounter loaded with controversy, hostility and often violence since the 1ste Klasse in 1921.

There was a time where these two sides were competing against one another in a bid to be labelled the finest outfit on the planet, and down the years, we've seen some cracking contests in De Klassieker.

Here are five of 'em...

Ajax 3-3 Feyenoord (1970)

"We wanted to kill them," Ajax great Ruud Krol later admitted when talking about the 1970 Klassieker in Amsterdam.

Ajax were leading the title race at the time, but Feyenoord were just two weeks away from a European Cup final - looking to become the first Dutch side to win the competition following their arch-rivals' emphatic defeat to Milan at the final hurdle the previous year.

And while the pulsating 3-3 draw played out at De Meer that day was undoubtedly one of the most thrilling in De Klassieker history, the encounter was also a defining moment in Ajax's spell of dominance as the great Rinus Michels reached his final epiphany about 'Total Football' - acknowledging his system was still a little too exposed against the more organised and well-drilled sides.

Nevertheless, Feyenoord would be crowned European champions that season following a 2-1 victory over Celtic, while Ajax would go on to win their sixth Eredivisie title. The completion of Michels' tactical nuances to his revolutionary philosophy, however, laid the foundations for the club's three consecutive European Cup triumphs between 1971 and 1973.

Feyenoord 1-5 Ajax (1972)

Amid the most successful period in Dutch footballing history, the '72 Klassieker brought together two sides that were not only chasing another league title but arguably the right to call themselves the best team on the planet.

Consequently, the result of this particular instalment of the derby would leave no doubt as to who reigned supreme at the time: Ajax.

An 83rd minute strike by Piet Keizer and a brace from Johan Cruyff either side of the interval put
Ștefan Kovác's side on course for back-to-back Eredivisie crowns. Hans Posthumus had earlier cut the away side’s two-goal lead in half after early strikes from Arie Haan and Gerrie Muhren had stunned the home crowd at De Kuip.

Ajax 8-2 Feyenoord (1983)

Quite simply, this encounter must go down as the most astounding in the fixture’s long and storied history with the sub-plot alone making for compelling viewing before a ball had even been kicked.

The sight of Ajax icon, Johan Cruyff, returning to face the club he famously led to glory in the early '70s, wearing the shirt of fierce rivals, Feyenoord after having acrimoniously parted company with the then-double winners following their failure to offer the then 36-year-old a contract extension at the end of the previous campaign, served to create a volatile atmosphere both on and off the field.

Despite a young Marco van Basten getting on the scoresheet as the hosts blitzed their way to an early 3-0 lead, there was little indication of what was to come. I mean, this was a Feyenoord side who were on their way to a domestic double.

Yet, after Peter Houtman and Henk Duut gave the visitors hope of a renaissance before half-time, Ajax put their visitors to the sword in incredible fashion following the restart. Keje Molenaar and Ronald Koeman made it four and five with strikes just after the hour mark, before Van Basten bagged a late brace either side of a Robin Olsen strike to complete his hat-trick and the joint-largest winning margin in the history of De Klassieker.

Feyenoord 1-4 Ajax (2010)

While the Martin Jol era at the Amsterdam ArenA may not have been littered with fond memories for the Ajax faithful, this KNVB Beker final triumph still ranks as one of the most remarkable encounters between the two sides in recent memory.

Having established a two-goal cushion from the first leg clash in Amsterdam, Jol’s men had arrived in Rotterdam as the favourites to lift the cup for the 18th time in the club’s trophy-laden history.

Despite having failed to win at De Kuip in four years, Ajax went on to rip their bitter rivals apart in front of a shocked home crowd who, having seen Luis Suarez put the away side into the ascendancy after only four minutes, then saw Siem de Jong double the host’s advantage in the 64th minute.

De Jong then bagged a second ten minutes later - soon after Jon Dahl Tomasson had pulled a goal back for Mario Been’s men - to blow the aggregate score out to 5-1, before Ajax’s Uruguayan marksman rubbed salt into the home side’s wounds by adding his second of the match seven minutes from time.

Feyenoord 6-2 Ajax (2019)

A modern day classic which will live fondly in the memories of Rotterdamers for years to come; Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Feyenoord didn't trounce just any old Ajax side at De Kuip in Januray 2019.

Erik ten Hag's 2018/19 outfit was their finest since Louis van Gaal's babyfaces of the mid-90s. A treble-winning side which came an impossible Lucas Moura hat-trick away from a Champions League final.

Nevertheless, Matthijs de Ligt & co. proved no match for De Trots van Zuid.

Lasse Schone gave the imperious visitors an early lead before strikes from Jens Toornstra and Steven Berghuis put the hosts 2-1 in front. Rotterdam-born Robin van Persie then bagged a brace either side of half-time after Hakim Ziyech had earlier restored parity, before Tonny Vilhena and Yassin Ayoub rounded off a rampant 6-2 triumph.

It was Feyenoord's first victory over Ajax in the Eredivisie since 2012. Some way to do it, eh?