Match Centre: Ajax vs Atalanta

Two goals after a goalless half

The first half ended goalless. In the 87th minute Youri Baas sent a long pass, Tolu Arokodare won the duel with Rejlja Obrić, went through one-on-one and beat Marco Carnesecchi. In stoppage time Abdellah Ouazane ran through on his own down the left and placed a precise shot under the crossbar. Arokodare provided the assist for that goal.

Match numbers and Ajax's run

Ajax had 61% possession and took 21 shots, seven of them on target. Atalanta, who had the ball for 39% of the time, shot 15 times but never on target. The visitors won more corners: nine to Ajax's eight. Ajax scored in an 11th consecutive match.

Ajax's first points, Atalanta's first defeat

It was Ajax's first win in the competition, their first three points in the Conference League league phase. The victory also ended a run of eight games without a win against Italian clubs, stretching back to April 2019. Atalanta suffered their first defeat in the competition, and the Bergamo side have three points after two rounds. The visitors' coach Maurizio Sarri spoke about absences: "Today we were missing four centre-backs, that's a lot." Atalanta's starting eleven had six changes from the previous match.

The coaches and Klaassen after the match

Sarri admitted that the defeat was not down to a lack of commitment from his players, although one mistake cost a goal, and added that his team had more positives than negatives. He said: "Going into the last five minutes, the last thing I was thinking about was defeat." Coach Míchel judged that his team dominated and created many chances, and that they are looking to improve in the final third. He also praised the substitutes, who brought fresh energy. Davy Klaassen said Ajax's win was deserved, but stressed that the team must keep up the energy: "It doesn't come by itself."