Will the Dutch club win the Champions League? After yesterday’s victory againt Tottenham Ajax just needs 2 wins before it’s the champion against all odds!
Before we get to all the praises from the press, let’s have a quick look at what happened in the match.
Ajax is closer to getting to the Champions League final after 1 – 0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening. In the first half of the game, Ajax seized control of the ball and Tottenham barely touched it. Within the first 15 minutes of the game, Donny van de Beek scored a goal, assisted by Ziyech.
The 22-year-old midfielder had over 60 percent possession in the first half hour and most are calling him the strongest player of the first half. This is his fourth goal of this Champions League season.
22y 12d – Donny van de Beek (22y 12d) is the third youngest Ajax goalscorer in a Champions League semi-final after Nordin Wooter (19y 237d) and Mario Melchiot (20y 170d). Stunned. #TOTAJA pic.twitter.com/RFB6pryTjU
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 30, 2019
The Amsterdam team will play Tottenham again next Wednesday for a second leg of the semi-final at the Arena. Prepare for a big night in Amsterdam!
What does the press say about Tottenham – Ajax?
According to RTL nieuws, following the win, Ajax remains calm and focused to tackle next week’s game and is not celebrating yet. Coach Erik ten hag says Ajax had not even shown his best game in London. He says, “There was a team and we fought like lions. On the other hand, after the break, we didn’t play as we should have. We made it unnecessarily difficult for ourselves.”
Volkskrant writes, “Thanks to a first half hour of football magic against Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax is close to the mecca of club football, the final of the Champions League”. However, it also writes that the final is not guaranteed.
The English press was also heavily impressed by Ajax, particularly the first half hour, reports RTL nieuws. The Independent says Ajax fully deserved the win and congratulates the club for succeeding with such a small budget. The Guardian says the game was a reminder of old Dutch football. The newspaper writes, “What else could you draw after that 30-minute period in the first half in which Ajax seemed determined to remind the world that they have a patent for it?”.
Ajax fans taking over London ❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/zLQXj4m2vW
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 30, 2019
The future's bright, the future's Oranje ⭐
So many of Ajax's young stars impressed tonight, both on and off the pitch.
Here's @GullitR and Arsene Wenger on match-winner Donny van de Beek.#beINUCL #beINWenger #TOTAJA pic.twitter.com/JzKWuwRNQV
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 30, 2019
Ajax fans in London ? pic.twitter.com/Hagmw4sWkK
— Football memes (@trolllfootballl) May 1, 2019
Did you watch the game? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments, below!
Featured image source: Wikimedia/ Bluejam