Team effort pleases Koeman

AFC Ajax coach Ronald Koeman was delighted with his side as they bounced back from defeats in their opening two UEFA Champions League fixtures and against SC Heerenveen in the Dutch league on Saturday to claim victory against Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC. The four-times champions of Europe claimed their first Group C points thanks to first-half goals from Wesley Sonck, Nigel De Jong and Rafael van der Vaart, leaving group stage debutants Maccabi yet to get off the mark.

Ronald Koeman, Ajax coach
I was very pleased with our effort tonight, especially after all the criticism coming from the display on Saturday. The team showed they can act like a team instead of just a group of individuals. However, I would be the first to admit that we were lucky to score the first goal so early in the match. My only criticism is that we did not succeed in scoring more goals in the second half.

Nir Klinger, Maccabi Tel-Aviv coach
Ajax were very good this evening. My team usually equip themselves better, especially in defence, but after Ajax scored the first goal we lost control. It is now very important for the team to recover and I am sure that we will take revenge in three weeks.

Wesley Sneijder, Ajax midfield player
After Saturday I am very relieved with my good performance and am convinced that the team will recover very soon. I was sick when I missed the penalty but luckily it was already 3-0. The team is eager to show the world that they can act as one team, and I am convinced we did that tonight.