Former England forward started against Ajax but failed to make an impression and was hooked early on by Robin van Persie
W
hen the moment came, Raheem Sterling ran out of road. At long last a few yards of space had opened up and here, advertised by a spike in the decibel level around De Kuip, was an invitation to attack the Ajax right-back Lucas Rosa. There was no doubting what his mind intended to do: go around the outside, skitter along the byline and execute in the manner that has defined a largely brilliant career. For a split second the muscle memory seemed enough but Rosa’s angles were perfect and the legs had no way of compensating. Just as he had in a tighter spot before half-time, Sterling could only dribble the ball off the pitch.
Four minutes later, he would be exiting it for good. Feyenoord had gone a goal down in De Klassieker to a drab, workmanlike Ajax and the unfortunate truth was that there was only one place to look.
The home side’s slim pickings so far had come down the right flank, leading to a semi-presentable chance for Ayase Ueda; perhaps the 20-year-old Slovakian Leo Sauer, who ran on as Sterling trudged towards the bench, would offer a modicum of spark on the opposite side. Only 55 minutes of the Eredivisie’s showpiece occasion had passed.
