November 04, (THEWILL) – With a 3-1 comeback triumph over ten-man Borussia Dortmund, Ajax joined Juventus and Bayern Munich as qualifiers for the next round of the Champions League.
After going a man down and a goal up in the first half, Erik Ten Hag’s side won it with goals from Dusan Tadic, Sebastien Haller, and Davy Klaassen.
With half an hour gone, the game took a dramatic turn when Mats Hummels was sent off for a sliding challenge, a judgement that was controversially upheld following a VAR review.
Just minutes later, VAR was prominently involved again after referee Michael Oliver initially waved down Jude Bellingham’s penalty requests, then signalled check over following a VAR review, only to be summoned to the pitch-side monitor after another angle of the foul was spotted.
Dortmund’s Marco Reus scored the game’s first goal, and the score remained 1-0 until halftime, with both sets of players dissatisfied with the match officials.
During a sluggish second-half performance, Ajax struggled to make the most of their man advantage, but captain Tadic ultimately scored, turning a deep cross home at the far post before crashing with the woodwork, taking the wind out of his sails during the celebration.
With seven minutes of normal time remaining, Dortmund’s 10-man resistance was finally broken, with Antony earning up his second assist of the night, crossing for Haller to head home.
In injury time, Klaassen put the game out of reach. Ajax has now won four out of four games in Group C, confirming its qualification for the knockout stages.
Dortmund must move on from their defeat when they go to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday. Ajax’s next Eredivisie match is at home against Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday.
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.
