Ajax Amsterdam missed out on a win despite striker Sebastien Haller’s next goal in the Champions League round of 16.
The Dutch football record champion twice lost a lead at Benfica Lisbon and came to a 2: 2 (2: 1). Former Frankfurt Bundesliga striker Haller scored his eleventh goal in the current competition.
The attacker only needed seven games for this result in his first season in the European premier class and thus set a record: No player in the history of the competition has shot eleven stalls faster.
Dusan Tadic (18′) put Amsterdam ahead after a nice combination with a volley, then Haller (26′) scored – but into his own goal to equalize. A little later he was successful on the “right” side and shot the guests back into the lead after a rebound (29th). Roman Yaremchuk (72′) rewarded Benfica for a strong finish in the second half.
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Ajax, who had twice impressively beaten Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, initially dominated the match in Portugal with technically strong and quick combinations. Ryan Gravenberch caused a stir on the left, the 19-year-old has reportedly attracted interest from Bayern Munich. Former BVB professional Julian Weigl had a lot of work in the Portuguese midfield.
However, the 1-0 came after a mistake in Lisbon’s build-up game. Alejandro Grimaldo couldn’t handle a pass from the former Germany U21 international goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos properly, then Ajax quickly switched: Noussair Mazraoui crossed the ball to Tadic, who finished the ball well.
Even after the two Haller goals, the game remained lively, and Ajax had a great chance to score the next goal just before the break. Haller (44th) did not put the ball in the empty goal.
Benfica fought back after the break. The Ukrainian Yaremchuk (72nd) pushed a rebound over the line with his head. Benfica now took control of the game, Ajax had to survive some tricky situations.