It was the first leg of the champions league semifinal stage and a much-anticipated fixture between two teams who got to this stage in dramatic fashion. Tottenham took on the wonder Ajax team at their new Tottenham Hotspur stadium, for their first leg semifinal encounter.
Spurs have been in great form in this competition, hence the reason why they are at this stage. They are not having a great season in the premier league, but far away from been poor. It was a great achievement for them to reach this stage of the champions league, their first ever semifinals in the champions league and for them, it will go into their history books if they finally make it through to the finals.
Going into this game against Ajax who have surprised a lot of football lovers, with their performances, most especially against the bigger boys in this competition, they were slight favorites playing at home, but the final result would count as a disappointment for them. They now have a big task ahead of them to win at the Amsterdam Arena, which isn’t an easy task, Real Madrid and Juventus will testify about that :).
Ajax are the revelation to this competition. They are probably the youngest team in this competition and have surpassed everyone’s imaginations and theirs too. Their performances and results in this competition has attracted a lot of attention and are probably the fans favorites (neutrals). Their win against Spurs away is a huge advantage for them, as they now go into the second leg at home with more confidence and having the upper hand.
Their first semifinal since 22years, which is already a great achievement for them, as no one expected them to progress through in the round of 16, let alone be at this stage. With the away win and aggregate lead on their side, they are now the favorites for the first time in this competition to make it to the finals.
Brief Post-Match Analyses
A great champions league night atmosphere at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, fans of both teams were all buzzing and excited for the battle to begin.
Spurs lineup in their usual 3-1-4-2 formation, while Ajax lineup in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The game began and Ajax were already on the front foot, playing with more intensity and desire, which finally resulted in an early goal. They have shown great attacking play so far in this competition, but also showed their relentless side, as they were able to hold on to an early 1 nil lead, to ensure that the leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the crucial away victory.
Van De Beek scored the only goal and the match-winning goal for Ajax in the 15th minute, receiving a through pass inside the Spurs box and calmly slotting the ball home, to give his team the crucial away victory.
It was a great game by Ajax yet again, as they continue to impress in this competition. For Spurs, they have a serious task in front of them, to turn the table around in Amsterdam. For Ajax, they have a cushion and only need to avoid defeat at home to take them through to the finals.
