When Greek Heroes Clash; Heracles Vs Ajax

Legendary Dutch coach Rinus Michels once aptly summed up what he thought the beautiful game was about: "Football is war."

Shots are fired, the opposing teams goal is besieged, the forwards must have a killer instinct as he harasses the enemies defence. Even the terminology sports commentators use is warlike.

Football is war in the classical sense of the Iliad, two sides fighting it out for the honour of winning, the players being the heroes of Homeric proportions. I believe this is a concept acknowledged by more people than just little old me, so in a way it makes sense that many sports teams are named after mythological heroes.

Last weekend saw such a clash of mythologically named teams in the Dutch Eredivisie, as Heracles Almelo faced off against Ajax Amsterdam. 

In mythology, Heracles or Hercules is by far the superior hero. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity, the ancestor of royal clans who claimed to be Heracleidae and a champion of the Olympian Order against chtonic monsters. Extraordinary strength, courage, ingenuity, and sexual prowess with both males and females were among his characteristic attributes.

Aias or Ajax was the son of Telamon and king of Salamis. In Homer's Iliad, he is described as of great stature and colossal frame, the tallest and strongest of all the Achaeans, but for his cousin Achilles in skill-at-arms, and Diomedes to whom he lost a sparring competition as well as the 'bulwark of the Achaeans'.

On the pitch, fortune favours the Amsterdam side, with 29 Dutch titles and four Champions League trophies under their belt, whereas Heracles are just minnows in Dutch football. But what will happen when these two clubs named after ancient Greek heroes clash on the pitch?

Now forgive me when this match report does not live up to anything Homer wrote, but I will try. Like many battles between Greek heroes, the one between Ajax and Heracles was a long one. Despite their superiority on paper, Ajax had trouble breaking down the tight, almost phalanx-like defence of the home side.

The Amsterdam side played the ball around much to slowly to really upset the home-side and since Toby Alderweireld's cross-passes were not as effective as in other matches, the speed of winger Dennis Rommedahl could not be properly utilised. Combine this with a Luis Suarez who is defended well and you end up with an offensively impotent Ajax.

Speaking of Luis Suarez, allow me to link again to the world of mythology here. The club's namesake Aias Telamon once slaughtered a flock of sheep under the influence from a spell from the goddess Athena, after which he killed himself out of disgrace.

Luis Suarez nearly committed a form of suicide on the pitch, as he snapped after a late challenge by Antoine van der Linden. As if blinded by Athena herself, the Uruguayan Ajax skipper reacted by kicking at Van der Linden. The Ajax Golden Boy escaped with a yellow instead of a red card.

Ajax restored order in the second half, with Argentine skirmisher Dario Cvitanich on for the invisible Dennis Rommedahl. Aided by a corner-goal by defender Alderweireld and a red card for former Ajax-midfielder Kwame Quansah, Ajax took over and eventually ran out 3-0 winners, as Ismail Aisatti and Dario Cvitanich both netted their first season goals for the Amsterdam side.

All in all, Ajax ran out as easy winners in Almelo and the match proved to be less Homeric and heroic as the names of both clubs would have suggested.