UEFA Champions League -- Ajax beat Tottenham Hotspur at their own backyard
Ajax took control of their Champions League semi-final against Tottenham with a 1-0 away victory in the first leg. Donny van de Beek’s first-half goal was enough to separate the sides on Tuesday evening in what was Tottenham’s first Champions League semi-final appearance.
Ajax have shown already why they have serious aspirations of adding to their three successive European Cups from the 1970s, as well as the one they won in 1995, and they were quick to fortify that point.
Around the half-hour mark Ajax had 69% of the ball possission and dominated the game with accurate passes in Tottenham"s half. In truth, they created more openings to score and were generous on Tottenham.
Ajax played with lots of intensity, their immense hard work and refusal to wilt even when Spurs were trying to put them under pressure in the second half. As has been apparent this season Ajax understand the merits of scoring in the away leg. They managed two in Turin, to go with the four they scored in the Bernabéu, and right from the start they seemed determined to go for it again.
Spurs, currently third in the Premier League, will now have to overturn a one-goal deficit in Amsterdam next week to progress to the final.
Spurs could not get near the ball and Danny Rose was marginally out of position when Hakim Ziyech played the killer pass for the 15th-minute breakthrough. Van de Beek controlled the ball while swivelling to face the goal all in one movement. That left him in front of Hugo Lloris and the goalkeeper was fooled by the way the Ajax player shaped to shoot. It was a brilliant deception. Van de Beek waited for Lloris to go down and then drew back his right foot for a second time to pick out the bottom corner.
Spurs found the first half tough, to say the least and there will have to be questions about the decision to send Jan Vertonghen back on after the clash of heads with Toby Alderweireld that eventually ended his involvement. Vertonghen was bloodied in the collision and so wobbly on his feet the Spanish referee was among those questioning whether the player should stay on. Spurs decided he should continue after he had been examined by their medical staff but Vertonghen was obviously in a bad way and it became clear shortly afterwards that it had been a bad idea. For Spurs it was a bruising night all round.
Ajax defeated Real Madrid and Juventus in the previous two rounds and their young and exciting squad appear well set to progress in the competition.The Dutch side started strongly and Van de Beek slotted past Hugo Lloris on 15 minutes to give Ajax the lead.
The visitors pressed for a second and Tottenham’s prospects were dealt another blow when Jan Vertonghen was forced off, with the defender seemingly suffering from concussion.
The introduction of Moussa Sissoko stemmed the flow and Spurs began to grow in the game without troubling Ajax’s Cameroonian shot-stopper Andre Onana.
It was Erik ten Hag’s side who came closest to scoring after the break, with David Neres hitting the post after another fine Ajax build-up
Spurs were very disappointing with no creativity, no width with wingers on back foot. It was a very lacklustre performance and did not move the ball quick up front.
Yes they are missing some key players – Harry Kane and Son Heung-min – but it was still disappointing.
For Ajax, the 1-0 win sees the club keep their first away clean-sheet in a Champions League knockout match since April 1996.
Tottenham failed to score in the competition for the first time in 21 matches.
