With a goal from Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez a little less than a quarter of an hour before the end of the match (minute 77), Benfica caused a surprise and eliminated Ajax Amsterdam, qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
In the first leg, played three weeks ago in Lisbon, the Dutch got a positive result, a tie at two goals, but despite their superiority this Tuesday they were unable to score a single goal against the Portuguese team.
True to their style, Ajax started with possession of the ball (64% in the first half) and chained the chances to score, but without the necessary aim to reach half-time with an advantage.
The Ivorian Sébastian Haller did score shortly after starting, assisted by the other star of the Dutch team Dusan Tadic, but the referee annulled it for offside by the Serbian midfielder (7).
The veteran Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen prevented the locals from opening the light in the 25th minute, rejecting a dangerous header from the Brazilian Antony and shortly after it was the Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos who rejected a hard shot from the Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch (36), allowing Benfica to reach half-time with the tie tieddespite the superiority of Ajax.
After the break, the pressure continued to allow Ajax to recover the ball in Benfica’s defensive zone and add scoring chances, although without precision in the shot, such as the umpteenth ball intercepted by Tadic near the Benfica area, but his placed shot was he went out for very little (49).
But as time progressed, Benfica stretched and Vertonghen gave a first warning, with a header that was too crossed after a corner kick (57).
Antony, very active throughout the match, came close to scoring for Ajax on the hour mark, but his header from Daley Bling’s cross went over the crossbar (62).
After so much forgiving, Ajax ended up paying for it: a lateral foul by the Mexican Edson Álvarez, was hung by the Spanish Álex Grimaldo in the heart of the area and Darwin Núñez got up to head into the net (77).
It is the fourth goal for the Uruguayan striker this season in the Champions League, who left the field shortly after scoring, visibly injured.
Pressured by the result, Ajax had even less clarity of mind in the final meters and although they pushed until the end looking for extra time, they were unable to score against Vlachodimos.
Ajax vs. Benfica – Minute by minute
(D)
Source: Eluniverso
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
