Disastrous day for Ajax: league leaders lose 0-3 to NEC Nijmegen after PSV win
A disastrous day for Ajax ended with the team losing 0-3 at home to NEC Nijmegen on Sunday. The Amsterdammers thought they could have possibly won the league today with a win, but a dramatic late win for PSV combined with the severe loss has led to the Eindhovenaren being just a point behind with two games remaining in the Eredivisie.
Ajax were dealt a blow prior to the match beginning. The Amsterdammers could have won the league by winning this game if PSV had lost to Feyenoord, and this seemed set to happen when the Rotterdammers took a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes. But PSV turned it around, winning the game in the 99th minute.
Wout Weghorst started the game in the striker position. Brian Brobbey was returning from an injury and started on the bench. Remko Pasveer was back in the goalkeeper position for Ajax after missing two months with a groin injury.
Ajax created very little in the first half. Both of their opportunities were created through passing from Jordan Henderson. The English midfielder played a sharp pass to Weghorst in the 16th minute, but the terrific-performing NEC defender Philip Sandler blocked the striker’s attempt.
The second opportunity and first decent effort on goal came in the 33rd minute when Henderson chipped a ball to Kenneth Taylor in the box. The header was a hard one to convert, and NEC goalkeeper Robin Roefs knocked it wide for a corner.
Many will have expected Ajax to pelt NEC with attacks in the second half, but the game swung in the opposite direction. The visitors from Nijmegen took the lead in the 59th minute. Former Ajax winger Sontje Hansen smashed a shot from distance into the far corner of the goal to stun the crowd in the Johan Cruijff Arena.
Francesco Farioli’s side came close to equalizing shortly after the goal. A few blocked attempts led to Kenneth Taylor having a shot at goal from inside the area. However, his attempt went far wide of the goal.
It got even worse for Ajax when NEC made it 0-2 in the 67th minute. Sami Ouaissa played a good pass through to Basal Onal, whose shot was saved by Pasveer before the rebound fell to Bryan Pereira, who tapped the ball into the empty goal.
NEC finished off the scoring in the 82nd minute when Ouaissa cut inside before his deflected shot went past Pasveer into the Ajax net.
It was a devastating defeat for Ajax, who have now seen a seven-point gap fall to one point after two losses and a draw in their last three games. The whole Eredivisie plays at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the penultimate game of the season. Ajax travel to FC Groningen while PSV host Heracles Almelo.
