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Lisbon (AFP) – Ajax Amsterdam and Benfica drew 2-2 on Wednesday in Lisbon in the 8th first leg of the Champions League, leaving qualification for the quarter-finals open in a meeting where Sébastien Haller scored again.
The Ajacides opened their scoring with an achievement by their captain, the Serbian Dusan Tadic (1-0, 18th). Then Benfica equalized with a goal against his camp by Sébastien Haller (1-1, 26th).
The Franco-Ivorian striker nevertheless quickly made up for his mistake by restoring the advantage to the Dutch in stride (2-1, 29th), the top scorer of the C1 this season thus bringing his impressive total to eleven goals in seven games.
In the second half, the Lisbon team once again picked up through the intermediary of the Ukrainian international Roman Yaremchuk (2-2, 72nd).
After a round of observation during the first quarter of an hour, things accelerated when Noussair Mazraoui sent a cross to Dusan Tadic, completely alone in the heart of the Portuguese area, who scored with a beautiful half-volley (1-0, 18th).
Haller, csc and eleventh base
Benfica’s reaction was quick. Following a corner, Jan Vertonghen centered hard in front of the Ajax goal, forcing Sébastien Haller to deflect the ball into his own net (1-1, 26th).
The 27-year-old center-forward, however, quickly found the path to redemption by trying twice to beat Eagles goalkeeper Odysséas Vlachodimos after a cross from Steven Berghuis (2-1, 29th).
Erik ten Hag’s men could have finished the first period with a more comfortable lead, but Edson Alvarez’s shot crashed into the post (44′).
Ajax may regret this missed opportunity. Returning from the locker room, Benfica, dominating, obtained several opportunities by first fishing in the last gesture, like a powerful shot from Gonçalo Ramos above (69th).
But on a counter-attack, Ramos armed a new heavy strike only repelled by Ajacid goalkeeper Remko Pasveer on Roman Yaremchuk, on the lookout, who put the two teams level with an angry header (2-2, 72nd ) when he had entered the game only ten minutes earlier.
In the return match on March 15 in Amsterdam, Ajax will start as favorites to reach the quarter-finals, but to do so they will need to find the ingredients of their first period in Lisbon.
