AFC Ajax delivered a commanding performance in a postponed Eredivisie fixture on Tuesday evening. Míchel Sánchez's side thrashed Willem II 5-1 at home to climb into the upper reaches of the league table.
The Amsterdam outfit made six changes from their previous match. Maarten Paes started in goal as Marc ter Stegen was rested ahead of the international break. Kasper Dolberg also came into the lineup, while Tolu Arokodare missed out with a minor illness.
Ajax dominated the opening half-hour but struggled to beat Willem II goalkeeper Maxime Delanghe. Davy Klaassen broke the deadlock twenty minutes before halftime, finishing off an assist from Dolberg. Julian Brandt doubled the lead just before the break.
The floodgates opened after the interval. Substitute Viktor Tsygankov scored his first goal for the club, and Oscar Gloukh quickly added a fourth. Willem II pulled one back through Alessandro Ciranni, but Kasper Dolberg restored the four-goal margin late on, tapping in a rebound after hitting the post.
Manager Míchel Sánchez explained the reasoning behind the goalkeeper change. "The German goalkeeper got rest with the international break in mind," he said. The victory lifts Ajax to fifth place in the Eredivisie with ten points from five games.
Ajax have scored fourteen goals and conceded six this season, leaving them six points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven. Their next challenge is a home fixture against sixth-placed Excelsior. The full Ajax squad is available for that match, which could further shake up the standings.
The report in full is at Voetbal International
