Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 4:20 PM• Dominic Mostert • Last update: 16:23

Ajax closed the season with a victory on Sunday afternoon. The national champion was 1-3 too strong for Vitesse on the final day and thus increased the season total to 88 points, the highest number for a club in the Eredivisie in this century. Moreover, Ajax broke through the barrier of 100 goals: the total is 102 goals. Vitesse ends, as was certain before the match, fourth in the Eredivisie.

With a total of 88 points, Ajax has had one of the best seasons ever in the Eredivisie. Since the introduction of the three-point system in 1995/96, only the Ajax of 1997/98 (89) and the PSV of 2014/15 (88) ever reached that number of points. Because the goal difference of Ajax is better than that of PSV (+79 to +61), the team from Amsterdam are the best champions of this century. With two goals in the first half, Ajax laid the foundation for the victory. The visitors opened the score after eleven minutes. Ryan Gravenberch served Jurgen Ekkelenkamp in the penalty area, after which the midfielder with a handy foot movement enabled Sébastien Haller to score Ajax’s hundredth goal in the competition season.

Moments after, Mohammed Kudus shot on the post. Ajax played frivolously and forced Vitesse back. The second goal followed a few minutes before half time. Ekkelenkamp again played an important role in the preparation. He combined with Dusan Tadic and brought the ball to Haller, after which Antony took care of the 0-2 from close range. Even before the break, however, Vitesse found the connection. Loïs Openda suddenly turned up for Maarten Stekelenburg, when he reacted to a backward header from Kudus. He outplayed both the keeper and Perr Schuurs and finished in an empty goal.

The second act was less attractive. Ajax remained the parent, but did not come close to the third goal for a long time. That came fifteen minutes before the end, when Lisandro Martínez made it 1-3 by tapping in after a corner. Eli Dasa prevented with a handsome block that the score became even bigger, but nevertheless Vitesse ended the season in a disappointing way. The team will enter the third preliminary round of the new Europa Conference League, making it the first Dutch club ever to be assured of participation in that tournament.