Ajax let a victory over Atalanta in the second group match of the Champions League slip out of its hands on Tuesday evening. The team from Amsterdam took a 0-2 lead in Bergamo, but gave it up after the break and eventually had to settle for a 2-2 draw. The morning papers saw that Ajax was not ruthless enough in Italy in the end.

The Telegraph pays special attention to Lassina Traoré, who was allowed to kick off against Atalanta after his five hits in the 0-13 game with VVV-Venlo. “In the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d ‘Italia it should show that the attacker from Burkina Faso can also have his (added) value against bigger opponents on a higher platform,” the newspaper writes. “Whoever of the invitees or the press would have left the stadium after 25 minutes or switched off his TV at home would undoubtedly have answered that question with ‘no’. The striker had a fight with the ball and lost every game despite his impressive build. ”

Click here for the summary of Atalanta – Ajax in the Champions League

“But after 45 minutes of play in the city, which was ravaged by the corona virus in the spring, Traoré was ‘just’ involved in two hits,” they continue. After a foul by Robin Gosens on Traoré, Dusan Tadic was able to shoot the opening goal from eleven meters, while the striker himself managed to double the margin. According to The Telegraph Ajax coach Erik ten Hag should perhaps have opted for a ‘more balanced midfield’ after the break, because the 0-2 lead was eventually relinquished. “In the end Ajax took the point it might have signed for beforehand.”

It Algemeen Dagblad mentions a moment in the injury time of the first half, when Hans Hateboer showed his displeasure after a pointless long ball from goalkeeper Marco Sportiello. “His Atalanta had the initiative in the first half hour – which, according to Ten Hag, was the key to a triumph – and also the greatest opportunities,” the morning news reported. It is stated that the game of Ajax ‘did not last’ until the opening goal. “The ball barely stayed in the team and Erik ten Hag’s conversions, mainly intended to prevent Atalanta from entering the attacking force, had little effect. For example, Antony did not look comfortable on the right side and Ajax hardly kept the ball in the team. ”

CUCKOO! Antony sends Hateboer into the forest with panna

Despite the fact that confidence grew at Ajax, the newspaper saw Ajax collapse after the break. “Atalanta smelled more and more blood and Gasperini’s dynamic and tireless team was able to show up again and again and had to pay for the inevitable equalizer. Once again it was the very strong Zapata who could print at the far post ”, is the conclusion. “Ajax, unbeaten for two years on foreign soil in the Champions League, extended that fine series and keeps hopes of wintering, but given the half-time score, it missed an excellent opportunity to throw the group upside down.”

“The beautiful, the special thing about Ajax remains the flair, the lust to attack, the daring, the combination game that can make football such a fine, soothing, joyful game, while too little was successful for the good”, he opens. de Volkskrant. The newspaper states that Ajax no longer has the same players as two years ago, but did see flashes of the game from the successful Champions League campaign. “Greater is the vulnerability, which was expressed on Tuesday in players who lost the ball too easily, which led to kilometers of unnecessary running, and in a defense that squeaked and creaked.”

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Also de Volkskrant Traoré explains. “A powerful striker. Not a great technician, not a man holding the ball for long periods, even a striker who raises doubts about his ceiling. But he is a worker, a fast guy, a mad professional, with his colorful sweatband in green, yellow and red, with which he puts his poverty-stricken homeland Burkina Faso on the map ”, it sounds. Also Faithful has positive words for the striker.

“The nineteen-year-old striker from Burkina Faso seems to be settling the discussion about the striker position at Ajax for the time being. Ten Hag recently confessed that he would have liked to attract a top striker this summer, but due to the corona crisis, even Ajax has to take care of the money. In Labyad Ten Hag thought he had the alternative, but the robust and ball-proof Traoré seized the opportunities he got ”, writes Faithful, that headlines that ‘Mokum bravado’ Ajax has delivered a draw with which the team from Amsterdam can be satisfied.