In fact, Ibrahimovic's good mood did not last long.
That Saturday after the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, Ajax opened the new Eredivisie season against Vitesse, who had narrowly avoided relegation the previous season.
Ajax were playing away, so Yang Yang and Vermaelen both stayed home to watch the live broadcast.
The visitors performed poorly in the first half as usual. Just thirteen minutes into the match, Vitesse defender Frankel assisted striker Amoah, who scored the opening goal. Ajax struggled to break the deadlock and only equalized ten minutes later with the help of an own goal from Frankel.
Ibrahimovic played for only an hour before being replaced by Viktor Sikora. Koeman then made several more substitutions, and finally, in the eighty-seventh minute, Sneijder scored to ensure Ajax escaped with all three points.
After rescuing Ajax in two consecutive matches, Sneijder became the team's undisputed savior at the start of the season, stealing the spotlight from star player Van der Vaart and center forward Ibrahimovic.
The first round of a new season was often difficult. Ajax's away win and precious three points had been hard-earned indeed. Eindhoven had drawn 2–2 away against Roda JC, while Feyenoord had narrowly beaten Nijmegen 2–1 at home. None of them had found it easy.
After returning to Amsterdam, Ibrahimovic was clearly in a much worse mood. It was said that Head Coach Koeman and Technical Director Van Gaal had given him a harsh dressing-down, leaving him seething with anger.
Finally, in the second leg against Graz AK at home in midweek, Ibrahimovic scored just fifteen minutes after kickoff. Receiving a cross from the left by his good friend Maxwell, he sent the ball into the opponent's net, opening the scoring for Ajax and netting his first Champions League goal of the season.