Ajax effortlessly joined the last eight of the TOTO KNVB Cup on Thursday evening. The team from Amsterdam, who started with nine new names, scored happily against Excelsior Maassluis: 9-0. Danilo had a chance in the starting lineup against the team from the Second Division and made the most impact with four goals. It was striking that Amourricho van Axel Dongen on the left was preferred over Mohamed Daramy, who scored twice as a substitute.
Only two players started at Ajax who also started against FC Utrecht (0-3 win): Jurriën Timber and Antony. Jay Gorter made his debut under the bar, while Devyne Rensch and Nicolás Tagliafico at the back positions had a chance to prove themselves. Perr Schuurs took over central back from Lisandro Martínez. Youri Regeer and Kenneth Taylor were the controlling midfielders, while Davy Klaassen was in ten. Danilo took over the striker position from Brian Brobbey, who scored twice against Utrecht. Amourricho van Axel Dongen and Antony are the wing tips.
The many newcomers in the team seemed to want to prove themselves to Ten Hag, because Ajax started razor sharp and took the lead after nine minutes. Tagliafico scored the first goal with a nice shot from a distance: 1-0. The team from Amsterdam received an easily given penalty in the twentieth minute, when Van Axel Dongen was slightly pushed. Danilo took advantage of the opportunity of eleven meters: 2-0. A few minutes later, the Brazilian striker took advantage of good preparatory work by Rensch and Van Axel Dongen and scored the 3-0.
Antony had no trouble rushing past his opponent in the 37th minute, after which his low cross was simply typed in by compatriot Danilo: 4-0. Even before the break, Regeer made it 5-0 with a dry bang from seventeen meters. After the break Ajax continued calmly and Danilo also made his fourth of the evening from about seventeen meters: 6-0. After that, Steven Berghuis was not selfish in the penalty area and the attacker gave fellow substitute Kristian Hlynsson an unmissable punch: 7-0.
Substitute Mohamed Daramy also contributed: the left striker was able to calmly dribble into the penalty area and place the ball in the far corner: 8-0. Daramy was also able to score 9-0, after the Dane intercepted the ball in the defense of Excelsior Maassluis and passed goalkeeper Jean-Paul van Leeuwen. Shortly before time, attention turned to twenty-year-old Excelsior Maassluis substitute Devin Plank, who had undergone chemotherapy and surgery for the past eight months after a malignant tumor was discovered in his fibula. He made his comeback on the football field and received a guard of honor from the players of both teams.