Ajax’s game in Nijmegen was very substandard. For a long time, a draw seemed the highest achievable. In the end Brian Brobbey made the liberating 1-0, as a result of which the team from Amsterdam won.
Ajax’s base had changed in four places compared to the lost cup final. Edson Álvarez started on the bench after surgery on the hand. Sébastien Haller replaced Brian Brobbey again and Nico Tagliafco and Kenneth Taylor replaced Lisandro Martínez and Noussair Mazraoui. The team from Amsterdam immediately became dangerous in the opening minutes. After a good action by Tagliafico, the Argentinian gave up on Davy Klaassen, he headed into the hands of Mattijs Branderhorst.
In the counter-punch, Jonathan Okita escaped the Ajax defense and forced Maarten Stekelenburg to make a save. After half an hour, a foul by Jordy Bruijn resulted in a penalty for the team from Amsterdam. This was then missed by Dusan Tadic. To make matters worse, Steven Berghuis shot high from a promising position. Elayis Tavsan shot wide after a great chance.
Watch Tadic’s missed penalty below:
Brobbey match winner
The first moment after the break was for Souffian El Karouani. His marker went over Stekelenburg, but next to the goal. Ryan Gravenberch then tried from a distance. Branderhorst simply stopped the ball. Tavsan then got the biggest chance until then. The attacker dribbled through Ajax’s entire defense, but then shot into the side net. Ajax seemed shaken awake, because it then got opportunities via Brobbey (header on the post) and Davy Klaassen (ball removed from the line).
In the end it was substitute Brian Brobbey who gave a weak playing Ajax the victory. For a long time a draw seemed to be the fate of the team from Amsterdam, but the mercenary of RB Leipzig made the turn 0-1 in the 88th minute. That was enough for the win.
Due to the late victory, the ball is back with PSV in the title fight. The people of Eindhoven have seven points less and will play against SC Cambuur tonight from 9 p.m.
Ajax setup: Stekelenburg; Timber, Schuurs (Van Gelderen/45), Blind, Tagliafico; Gravenberch (Álvarez/93), Klaassen, Taylor (Kudus/85); Mountain House (Brobbey/46)