perfect score and twenty goals in group stage

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 10:49 PM• Dominic Mostert

Ajax has closed the group stage of the Champions League with a perfect score of eighteen points from six matches. The team of trainer Erik ten Hag won 4-2 against Sporting Portugal in an empty Johan Cruijff ArenA on Tuesday evening and thus converted all six group matches into a victory. Ajax improved its own club record from 1995/96, when sixteen points were taken. It was already known in advance that Ajax and Sporting would reach the next round; Borussia Dortmund was already certain of the third place, but still found the motivation for a big win over the scoreless Besiktas: 5-0.

Ajax – Sporting Portugal 4-2
It was expected that Ten Hag would give a number of reserve players the chance, but André Onana and Nicolás Tagliafico ‘just’ remained on the bench. Perr Schuurs did replace Jurriën Timber and David Neres replaced the injured Dusan Tadic. Ajax was not supported by the fans for the first time this Champions League season, but quickly took the lead. Daniel Bragança stood in the penalty area on the ankle of Sébastien Haller; Referee Davide Massa initially paid no attention, but was called to the sidelines by his video referee and soon awarded a penalty. Haller, who was moaning in pain from the offense just minutes before, took the penalty himself and hit the left corner.

The Ajax striker became only the second player ever after Cristiano Ronaldo to score in all group matches of a Champions League season; furthermore, after Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, he became the fourth player ever to score at least ten goals in the group stage. However, halfway through the second half, after chances for Steven Berghuis and Antony, Sporting equalized. After a turning cross from Bruno Tabata, Nuno Santos ran away from Perr Schuurs’ back and made it 1-1 with a great effort. Six minutes before the break, keeper João Virgínia made a save on shots from Antony and Edson Álvarez, but the former gave Amsterdam an advantage just moments later.

Antony suddenly received the ball in the penalty area after a wrong pass from Luís Neto, then played the Sporting captain out, waited until keeper Virgínia could no longer reach the ball and finished in a controlled manner. David Neres further increased the margin in the second half with a shot through Virgínia’s legs, after a good attack and intelligent cross pass from Schuurs. A nice attack also resulted in the 4-1 for the team from Amsterdam after an hour: Davy Klaassen served Steven Berghuis, who surprised Sporting with a low shot into the right corner. Lisandro Martínez was close to 5-1, but hit the post hard. Thirteen minutes before the end, Sporting did something back when Tamata suddenly shot the ball into the roof of the goal after a smooth attack.

Borussia Dortmund – Besiktas 5-0
Besiktas joined seven other players than last month against Ajax: former Dortmund attacker Michy Batshuayi, among others, had a base place. Dortmund played without Erling Braut Haaland, who has just returned from a hip injury and was given a rest. Besiktas hoped to take the first point in the group stage in Germany, but never got into the game and trailed 2-0 at halftime. Donyell Malen opened the scoring. The striker received the ball from the risen Jude Bellingham and placed the ball inside the penalty area under goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu. In the final phase of the first half, the last bit of hope with Besiktas disappeared, due to a goal against and a red card.

Welinton gave Mahmoud Dahoud a push in the penalty area and was shown a red card, while Marco Reus was allowed to take a penalty. The contact was light, but referee François Letexier stuck to his decision after studying the images. Reus sent Destanoglu the wrong way from eleven meters. Seven minutes after the break, Reus also took care of the 3-0: the attacker walked past several defenders in the penalty area and tapped into the left corner. In minute 63, Haaland came in after all, and it took him just five minutes to strike: Nico Schulz enabled him to put an unruly header into the left corner. Ten minutes before the end he also nodded after a corner from Dahoud for the 5-0.