Ajax 0-0 Liverpool
Liverpool and Ajax played out a goalless draw in the Amsterdam ArenA, with both sides keeping their unbeaten pre-season form going on the opening night of the Amsterdam Tournament.
Harry Kewell returned from a minor ankle injury, while Heskey and Smicer, who both impressed during the Far-East tour, both started on the bench.
The first opportunity of the evening fell to the hosts after just 5 minutes. Henchoz and Hyypia had stepped upfield in an attempt to play the offside, but Van der Vaart timed his run behind the pair perfectly, and the two Liverpool centre backs were thankful that Dudek was alert, and had come quickly off his line to make the block and concede a corner from which Ajax failed to threaten again.
Liverpool's first chance of the game was almost five minutes later, and it was Baros who finally got the shot on goal, though it was Kewell who did most of the work in creating the chance with a pacey run down the right wing before cutting inside and playing a short pass to Baros. But despite initially controlling the ball well, Baros had to stretch out his left leg to get a shot of any description at goal, and with no pace on the shot at all, it was a comfortable claim for the Ajax 'keeper.
Gregory Vignal became the first player to go into the referee's book with less than 20 minutes of the match on the clock, after he clipped the South African winger Steven Pienaa, while Hatem Trabelsi also had his name taken for pulling down Diouf on the edge of the Ajax area which saw Liverpool awarded a free kick from which Danny Murphy curled a few feet over the bar.
Jerzy Dudek was again called into action as half time approached, firstly in order to make a block with his leg from a close range shot by Van der Vaart after a sublime piece of skill had taken the Ajax captain past Gerrard. Moments later a long range strike was punched well away from goal by the Reds' keeper.
No changes were made at half time, but former Anfield man Jari Litmanen began his warm up soon after the interval with the Finn was named only as a substitute by his boss, Ronald Koeman.
The Ajax players who were chosen continued to cause Liverpool problems though, with Van der Vaart going close from long range early in the second half.
It took 63 minutes for Litmanen to finally make his entrance to the delight of the home fans, but Danny Murphy almost silenced the majority of the 51,000 crowd less than a minute later, but narrowly failed to get on the end of Gerrard's well delivered cross.
It was a rare attempt at goal for Liverpool, and Ajax remained the dominant side, with Van der Vaart going close yet again on 70 minutes with a shot aimed at the top corner, but Dudek got his fingertips to the shot to send the ball just wide of the goal.
Liverpool made a double substitution on 74 minutes, with Gerard Houllier bringing off Harry Kewell and Gregory Vignal to be replaced by Riise and the in form Vladimir Smicer, with a couple of further changes soon after, as Owen and Baros were replaced by Heskey and Sinama-Pongolle.
Smicer and Diouf each made the Ajax 'keeper work in the closing minutes of the match, each player firing a shot at the Ajax goal from close to the penalty spot, but neither proved too difficult for Stekelenburg to deal with.
Jerzy Dudek certainly founf himself tested thoroughly at the other end, and the Pole made three excellent saves in as many minutes, including keeping out a volley by Jari Litmanen, from 20 yards out.
That was to be the last action of the game, and a point for each team proved a fair outcome to the match.
Earlier in the evening, Inter beat Galatasaray 3-0 to give the Italians a comfortable lead at the top of the group. In the final day of the competition, Ajax will play Inter, a game which will follow the Liverpool v Galatasaray match.
