The victory of Ajax over Besiktas (1-2) has also not gone unnoticed in the foreign media. The team from Amsterdam also won their fifth group match in the Champions League and could especially thank Sébastien Haller. The French Ivorian striker was gold as a substitute with two goals and became the first player ever to score nine in his first five CL appearances. The performance of the top scorer of the billion-dollar ball was extensively highlighted. There is talk of ‘the thrill of the Champions League campaign’ and ‘a bomber taking the field in Istanbul’.
“After Rachid Ghezzal’s goal, Ajax turned things around in the second half,” signs L’Equipe on. “And one man changed everything. He showed up like a fox in the night,” the French newspaper refers to Haller. “The former AJ Auxerre attacker brought his tally to nine goals in five Champions League games, leveling with Robert Lewandowski. Haller is now the first player ever to score nine goals in his first five Champions League matches. He is a record breaker.”
9 goals! ?? The man does not know how to stop and is now on a level with super striker Lewandowski ?? Unprecedented numbers??#ZiggoSport #UCL #besaja pic.twitter.com/AgehH2Y0Yc
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) Nov 24, 2021
“For Ajax, the group win in the Champions League has already been won. However, the team from Amsterdam fell behind against Besiktas, but substitute and sharpshooter Sébastien Haller turned the game around with two goals in fifteen minutes. sporza. The Belgian newspaper The last news also has an eye for the record of the goal machine of Ajax. “Haller is doing even better than Erling Braut Haaland, who scored eight times in his first five games. And, to complete the list, Alessandro Del Piero and Diego Costa have done the same in the past.”
Haller also has a special place in the history books of Ajax from now on. Never before has a player scored more than nine times in the highest European club tournament. Only Jari Litmanen reached the same number in the 1995/96 season. It is very likely that Haller will shoot that record out of the books, as Ajax still has a group match due and is assured of participation in the next round. If he wants to go down in the books as the top scorer in a single season in all European competitions, he will have to pass Sören Lerby. In the 1979/80 season, the Dane scored ten goals in eight matches in the European Cup.
According to marca Haller is “one of the sensations in this Champions League campaign.” Also the Portuguese Record had an eye for the victory of the group mate of Sporting Portugal. “With the qualification for the last sixteen already under their belt, Ajax has also secured the first place in the group, with a 1-2 victory in Istanbul. Haller reaffirmed what a great season he is having.” La Gazzetta dello Sport also saw the substitute excel. “What a double blow for the Ivorian, the top scorer in Europe with Robert Lewandowski! After the backlog for Ajax in Istanbul, the bomber entered the field.”