Ajax suffered a surprising defeat against FC Twente at home against FC Twente on Saturday. The leader of the Eredivisie went down 1-2 in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Former Ajax player Queensy Menig scored both goals for the visitors.
For Ajax it is the second defeat of the season. Earlier, FC Groningen lost 1-0. In-house, the team from Amsterdam had not dropped any stitches until this match.
There was nothing to be said about FC Twente’s victory. The visitors took the lead halfway through the first half through Menig. After an hour of play, Ajax pulled the score from a penalty by Dusan Tadic, but six minutes before the end it was Menig who gave the brutally playing Twente three points.
The misstep against Twente did not cost the team of trainer Erik ten Hag the lead in the Eredivisie. Vitesse could have come alongside, but lost later in the evening with 2-1 from PEC Zwolle. Twente is currently fifth.
For Ajax, a disappointing week comes to an end with the defeat. On Tuesday, Liverpool lost 1-0 in the Champions League.
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Queensy Menig was the teasing ghost for his old club Ajax with two goals. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Ajax has no answer to compact playing Twente
Ajax, which started with Quincy Promes and Sean Klaiber for the injured pair of David Neres and Noussair Mazraoui, had no answer from the first minute to the battle method of the compact playing Twente. The home team did not get further than a punt from Promes in the first fifteen minutes.
On the other hand, Twente immediately struck at the first chance. Many, who were under contract with Ajax between 2014 and 2017, cut Perr Schuurs well and hit Daley Blind’s knee. Immediately afterwards, the tukkers closed the ranks again and simply stayed upright against the slowly combining Ajax until the break.
Ten Hag looked at it for a while, but intervened ten minutes after the break with a triple substitution. Schuurs, Promes and Nicolás Tagliafico had to make way for Jurriën Timber, Lisandro Martínez and Antony, while striker Lassina Traoré had made way for Brian Brobbey due to an injury.
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Dusan Tadic brought Ajax back into the match from the spot. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Twente shows guts after goal against
In the end Ajax needed the unintended help of Wout Brama to make up for the deficit. The routine went on the arm of Zakaria Labyad and was punished for that clumsy action with a penalty against, which was used by Tadic.
The equalizer benefited the entertainment value of the game, especially because Twente decided to throw off any hesitation. It provided opportunities for Menig and Ajax mercenary Danilo, who shot just wide.
Twente’s justified victory finally came and again it was Menig who pulled the trigger. The attacker trumped Klaiber and left André Onana without a chance with a shot in the far corner.
View the results and the position in the Eredivisie
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