Sports

Ajax largely focused on return after CL win against Tottenham

By Janene Pieters on May 1, 2019 - 09:50

While Ajax is delighted with their 0-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, the team emphasized that it is not yet time to celebrate. The Amsterdam team is a big step closer to the Champions League final, but they still face a difficult job in the return at the Johan Cruijff Arena next week.

"We stand with one toe in the final. It is no more than that", Ajax defender Joel Veltman said to NU.nl reports. "Tottenham has a top team, they can still rectify this."

There was no party in the Ajax dressing room after the match. "It was pretty quiet", Lasse Schone said to the newspaper. "And that shows the maturity of this selection. 0-1 is a good result, we all know that. Of course we are happy, but we feel that we have not yet dominated anything."

"0-1 is a fantastic result, but Tottenham noticed in the second half how they should play. It is not nearly finished yet", said Donny van de Beek, the man who scored for Ajax in Tuesday's match. Nevertheless, Van de Beek looks towards the return with confidence. "Next week we will also have the home crowd. If we are having a hard time, they can drag us through. It will certainly be tough though."

Coach Erik ten Hag praised Ajax for the victory, but also stressed that the Amsterdam team will have to perform even better to also win next week. "It is a top achievement. We fought like lions and played very good football. We dominated in the first 20 minutes. After that we forgot how to play football", he said to Veronica. "We are only halfway, that is how I see it. This is a good starting point. But next week we have to look better than today."