AFC Ajax secured a convincing 5-2 away victory against FC Groningen in the Eredivisie on Sunday. Míchel's side took control in the second half, delivering a strong performance ahead of their key Europa Conference League fixture with Atalanta. This win follows a recent run of two wins and two draws from their last five league matches.
Julian Brandt opened the scoring for Ajax after twenty-seven minutes. Aaron Bouwman doubled the lead ten minutes later from a corner. After the break, Brynjólfur Darri Willumsson pulled one back for the hosts, but Brandt netted his second of the afternoon on the hour mark. Jorthy Mokio decided the contest with two goals in six minutes, the latter assisted by captain Davy Klaassen. Thom Van Bergen scored a late consolation for Groningen.
Both sides missed a penalty. Klaassen saw his tenth-minute spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Vaessen, while Van Bergen missed for Groningen in added time. The match statistics showed an even contest with sixteen shots for Groningen to Ajax's fifteen, but the Amsterdam side was more clinical with eleven shots on target. This season, Ajax have scored 27 goals and conceded 12 in nine matches.
Line-up
Míchel set Ajax up in a 4-3-3 formation with ter Stegen in goal. The defence consisted of Lucas Rosa, Aaron Bouwman, Dies Janse and Owen Wijndal. Davy Klaassen, Amrabat and Jorthy Mokio formed the midfield. Julian Brandt, Marcos Leonardo and Oscar Gloukh started in attack. In the second half, Abdellah Ouazane, Tolu Arokodare, Rayane Bounida and Yves Bissouma were introduced.
They trail leaders Feyenoord by five points. The team's top scorer this season is Tolu Arokodare with four goals. Ajax face a key UEFA Europa Conference League match against Atalanta on Thursday. Their next league fixture is away to Sparta Rotterdam, who are thirteenth in the table, on Sunday 25 October. The team's recent results include a 1-1 draw with NEC Nijmegen and a 2-2 draw with Excelsior.
