Ajax draw 1-1 away against Slavia Prague in UEFA Europa League
Ajax drew 1-1 away against Slavia Prague on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League. The Amsterdammers took the lead through a penalty converted by Branco van den Boomen before Tomas Chory equalized for the hosts. Youri Baas was sent off for Francesco Farioli’s team, which resulted in a challenging last half hour for the Amsterdam team.
Ajax was missing Steven Berghuis, Wout Weghorst, Jordan Henderson, Kian Fitz-Jim, and Bertrand Traore for the game. They were replaced by players like Mika Godts, Brian Brobbey, and Christian Rasmussen.
Brobbey missed a massive chance in the tenth minute. A poor pass by a Slavia Prague defender went straight to him. The striker used his strength to get past David Zima, but he pulled his shot wide when one-on-one with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsey.
Six minutes later, Ajax were awarded a penalty. Ondřej Zmrzlý did not see Rasmussen coming and took him down when the young winger controlled the ball. Branco van den Boomen took the penalty, and he convincingly hit it into the bottom corner.
The home side were not dangerous in the first half. The closest they came was when striker Mojmir Chytil got a touch on the ball after it was crossed into the box, sending it just wide of the goal.
Brobbey had another chance shortly before halftime, similar to the one in the first half, but again, he hit the attempt wide.
Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer made a magnificent save to keep his team in the lead in the 51st minute when Simeon Michez’s shot was deflected towards goal.
Slavia made some substitutions, which really turned the game in their favor for most of the second half. This also led to the equalizer, as 1,99-meter-tall striker Tomas Chory headed a cross into the net to level the game.
Ajax’s job got harder in the 75th minute when center-back Youri Baas was sent off for a second bookable offense. This resulted in Ajax sitting back and trying to conserve the level scoring.
They succeeded in doing so, making the final score 1-1 in an ill-tempered game with many fouls.
Both teams now have four points from two games. Ajax beat Besiktas in their first match in the league phase, and Slavia Prague had already beaten Ludogorets away.
Slavia faces the Athletic Club in their next match. Ajax will travel to face Qarabag.
