In the Eredivisie, Ajax is on its way to a new title, but the Champions League is something different. The team from Amsterdam could not beat a Benfica crisis and still have to work hard in the return match.
Rarely seen, two clubs that just before a European meeting join forces and record a video together. Ajax and Benfica proved that it is possible and during a game of chess they showed off their icons (Eusebio, Cruijff,…) and glorious past – both became champions more than thirty times.
In the Estadio da Luz it was a little less friendly. Not only did both clubs want to take an option on the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a good result would also bring some peace in the noisy tent. The Overmars saga at Ajax has already been widely spread, but at Benfica they are really in the shit because of a (possible) bribery scandal.
Unlike the Dutch, the Portuguese top club also lags behind in the competition, the title has actually already started flying. Supporters ‘murmur’ (to put it mildly) and they did last night when Dusan Tadic scored the 0-1 goal after a poor defense. A round of applause was also in order. Wonderful how the Serbian captain deposited a colliding cross inside the right foot into the goal. His tenth of the season.
However, Benfica was not upset. Vertonghen may have a warm heart for his ex-club, he eliminated them with Tottenham at the time and led the search for the equalizer. At a corner, both his header and shot were blocked, but when he then put Mazraoui on the wrong foot and crossed the line hard, Ajax striker Sebastian Haller worked the ball into his own goal.
Haller corrects own goal
The Red Devil didn’t cheer too hard (out of respect) and maybe just as well. Because sadly enough, three minutes later the roles were already reversed. This time Haller was too quick for him on a cross and he gave the visitors the lead again in two times. The Frenchman has already scored in every CL match and is the top scorer with eleven goals. Lewandowski and Salah are going to have to hurry.
The question was: could Benfica beat that (usually) strong Ajax defense after the break, which has barely swallowed any goals this season? Daley Blind, ready for his 300th match for the team from Amsterdam, of which 43 on the champions ball – a record – was even more motivated. But he and his teammates got away well when Everton’s deflected shot went just wide. Even when top scorer Nuñez was missing a shoe for the 2-2. Or when Ramos missed a good shot. But it was inevitable. When Pasveer couldn’t catch a long shot, none other than Roman Yaremchuk was there like the chickens to head his team on the same level. With his seventh goal of the season but first goal in 2022, the former Ghent attacker ensured that we have another very exciting return match.
