Ajax embarrassed themselves on Thursday evening in the Europa League match against Rigas FC. One chance was enough for the Latvian champion to cause unprecedented disgrace to the struggling Amsterdammers. Despite the defeat, Ajax continues to have a view of the intermediate round in the Europa League.
Ajax hoped to end a special week for Dutch football with a fifth victory for a Dutch club, but the number two in the Eredivisie left with shame after a dramatic evening in the Daugavas Stadium.
Toothless Ajax
Francesco Farioli chose Daniele Rugani at center back alongside Josip Sutalo and Youri Baas moved to the left back position. Jorrel Hato was missing there due to a suspension. Wout Weghorst and Steven Berghuis started on the bench. They saw from the side how their teammates were very sloppy in their passing before halftime and rarely became dangerous for the goal of Fabrice Onoda, a cousin of ex-Ajax player Andre Onana.
The former Barcelona youth player made another athletic save on a swipe from Bertrand Traoré. Just before half time, Kian Fitz-Jim shot wildly wide from a promising position on a pass from Brian Brobbey. Remko Pasveer hardly featured in the game on the other side of the field: the Latvian champion was mainly in his own half.
Cover on the nose
Shortly after the break, Ajax thought they would take the lead after a tap-in from Fitz-Jim, but in the run-up to the goal, Mika Godts was offside. Sutalo was also close to scoring. After a corner, the Croat’s header was turned in front of the goal line by an RFS player. With substitutes Weghorst (for Brobbey) and Berghuis (for Anton Gaaei), Farioli hoped to score a liberating first goal.
Click on the text in the tweet to view Sutalo’s opportunity:
However, Ajax could not find a way to really put RFS with its back against the wall. And the Latvians’ first best chance was a direct hit in the 78th minute. After Fitz-Jim lost the ball, the Finn Adam Markhiev was able to head to Pasveer with only Rugani in front of him and with a shot from distance he made it 1-0, to the great surprise of more than ten thousand spectators in Riga. RFS had never won a victory in twelve European matches.
Click on the text in the tweet to view the goal:
Inky black evening
With the courage of desperation, Ajax went looking for an equalizer and Fitz-Jim appeared dangerously in front of Ondoa’s goal, but again the unlucky midfielder shot over. Rigas held on in extra time and achieved a historic victory. Farioli and his players will have to pick up the pieces after a pitch-black evening. Due to the third European defeat in a row, Ajax drops to sixteenth place and now definitely misses out on direct qualification for the eighth finals. The top eight is no longer feasible.
Stand UEFA Europa League 2024/2025
Europa
14
THE
7
3
2
2
10-9
+1
11
15
Union Sint-Gillis
7
3
2
2
7-6
+1
11
16
Ajax
7
3
1
3
14-7
+7
10
17
-PAOK Thessaloniki
7
3
1
3
12-8
+4
10
18
Royal Society
7
3
1
3
11-9
+2
10
19
FC Midtjylland
7
3
1
3
7-7
0
10
20
IF Elfsborg
7
3
1
3
9-11
-2
10
* Current until January 23. 2025
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