Tottenham 0-1 Ajax: Donny van de Beek gives Dutch side control of Champions League semi-finalDonny van de Beek's early away goal puts Ajax within touching distance of final
Last Updated: 30/04/19 10:35pm
Ajax put one foot in the final of the Champions League with a 1-0 semi-final first-leg victory over toothless Tottenham. Slicker and sharper than their hosts, Ajax's crop of talented youngsters pinned Spurs back during an utterly dominant opening 30 minutes with Donny van de Beek (15) scoring the vital away goal. Spurs looked short on confidence and quality in the final third without the suspended Heung-Min Son as they failed to test Andre Onana with any meaningful attempts, with just one of those hitting the target. Mauricio Pochettino's men have now scored just once in their last four matches in all competitions as Harry Kane's absence starts to become very apparent. Jan Vertonghen had to be helped from the field just before the break after suffering a nasty gash to his nose. He received treatment on the field before attempting to play on, but moments later signalled he could no longer continue and was steadied by Pochettino before being guided down the tunnel by medical officials.
Ajax winger David Neres almost put the tie beyond Spurs but his low strike bounced back off the post to keep Tottenham's hopes alive ahead of the return leg.
The result was another impressive away victory for Erik ten Hag's side - that is now nine games unbeaten in this season's competition with wins at Real Madrid, Juventus and Spurs to boast about.
Both sets of players were welcomed to the pitch by a message across the South Stand that read, 'To Dare is To Do'. Only only one team heeded that advice and it was the visitors.
Spurs stood off, with a ploy of playing on the counter, but Ajax's midfield drove their team forward and got their reward on 15 minutes. A one-touch move sliced through the Spurs defence with Van de Beek the man on the end of the final ball. Kieran Trippier was keeping the Ajax star onside and he calmly finished past Hugo Lloris from 10 yards out.
Van de Beek tried to add another to his tally on the half-hour but decided to test Lloris from a tight angle instead of squaring to Dusan Tadic and his effort was dealt with by Lloris.
Vertonghen had to be helped from the field just before the break due to the injury to his nose, which allowed Pochettino to bring on Moussa Sissoko and switch to a 4-4-2 formation. The Frenchman's introduction lifted Spurs, who settled into a better rhythm with Dele Alli testing Onana from 20 yards.
Ajax did not have things their own way as the game ticked on but Spurs were careless in the final third.
Despite their clear satisfaction with a 1-0 lead, the Dutch side almost doubled their advantage with 14 minutes remaining when Neres fired a low strike which cannoned back off the post.
Only one of the 17 previous teams to lose the first leg at home in a European Cup/Champions League semi-final tie has progressed into the final. Spurs are still in the tie but a huge improvement is required.
https://www.skysports.com/football/tottenham-vs-ajax/report/406463
