September 07, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey featured against his former club, as Ajax began their UEFA Champions League campaign with a spectacular 4-0 victory in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Rangers began the one-sided affair with three goals in the first half. Within 33 minutes, Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis, and Mohammed Kudus had all found the back of the net, giving Ajax the earliest three-goal lead in the history of the tournament.
Ajax added a late fourth through Steven Bergwijn despite Rangers making three substitutions at the break. It was a tough pill to swallow for last season’s Europa League finalists especially after enduring a 4-0 loss to rivals Celtic the previous weekend.
Kudus, who had a sensational game, became the seventh player in the last 15 years to both score, register an assist, and compete with a 100% pass success rate in a Champions League match, becoming the first to do it since Serge Gnabry in 2020 (against Barcelona).
With Liverpool and Napoli’s games to come later, this victory gives Ajax the early advantage in Group A. They will face Heerenveen in the Eredivisie, before a showdown against the Reds in the UCL. For Rangers, a mental uplift will be necessary as they look to bounce from two 4-0 losses this weekend against Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
