Ajax dispatch Sion in a very high-scoring match and qualify for the Conference League league phase
Ajax booked their place in the league phase of the Conference League on Thursday evening. The Amsterdam side beat FC Sion 5-3 at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, comfortably finishing the job after their 4-2 win in the first leg, although Míchel Sánchez's side endured a difficult spell before half-time and even fell behind.
Sánchez gave Tolu Arokodare his first start for Ajax after the striker on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers had previously only appeared as a substitute. The Nigerian led the line alongside 17-year-old Abdellah Ouazane and Steven Berghuis, while Julian Brandt kept his place in midfield and Oscar Gloukh started on the bench.
Ajax made a dream start and led after just 33 seconds. Brandt had already gone close after ten seconds, then Youri Baas made it 1-0 from the rebound after the resulting corner. The defender's strike matched Ajax's fastest European goal of this century, set by Andy van der Meijde in 2003.
That early control did not last. FC Sion levelled after 19 minutes through Winsley Boteli. Shortly before then, Marc-André ter Stegen had produced an excellent save from a close-range header, while Youri Regeer went off injured a few minutes after the equaliser and Jorthy Mokio came on.
Ajax thought they had gone back in front after 29 minutes through Ouazane, but Berghuis had been offside earlier in the move. Soon after, the game turned against the home side. Ter Stegen spilled a cross and Boteli pounced for his second goal. Sion led 2-1 and the aggregate gap was suddenly down to a single goal.
They did not trail for long. Three minutes later, Davy Klaassen smashed in for 2-2, his 20th European goal for Ajax, and became the third Ajax player to reach that mark after Johan Cruyff and Jari Litmanen. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Tolu restored the Amsterdam side's lead by blasting home from a difficult angle after a laboured, unintended touch.
After the break, Ajax stepped it up. Tolu first hit the woodwork, but in the 51st minute he grabbed his second of the night after a fine move involving Ouazane and Brandt. Four minutes later, the home side extended their lead when substitute Oliver Edvardsen, on at half-time for the disappointing Steven Berghuis, fired in for 5-2 after an attack down the left.
By the hour mark, Tolu received a standing ovation as he made way for Marcos Leonardo, while Klaassen and Brandt also went off. Edvardsen then thought he had made it 6-2, only for his second goal to be ruled out for offside.
In the 90th minute, Sion pulled one back after Caio Henrique clumsily lost possession and sparked a counter-attack: Boteli beat Dies Janse with ease and completed his hat-trick to make it 5-3. It changed nothing for Ajax, who sealed their place in the league phase of the Conference League with a 9-5 aggregate score.
