All eyes were on De Kuip in the Netherlands as Ajax handed rivals Feyenoord their first league defeat of the season 2-0 on Wednesday.
Scorers: Taylor 6′, Hato 25′
Originally set for September, this Eredivisie clash was rescheduled due to fan and player safety concerns following a Dutch police strike.
Yet once the teams finally hit the pitch for the first league Klassieker of the season, the match quickly delivered drama.
Ajax opened the scoring when Kenneth Taylor received a ball over the top from goalkeeper Remko Pasveer, and his deft touch pushed it around a rushing Timon Wellenreuther before slotting into an empty net.
Feyenoord were then stunned again 20 minutes later via Jorrel Harto. The defender was first to react from point-blank range after Wellenreuther spilt the balled following a corner kick.
25 – Ajax recorded their second fastest 0-2 lead against Feyenoord in De Kuip in the Eredivisie (25th minute), after April 1972 (19th minute). Clinical. pic.twitter.com/pMYvX6KUTd
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) October 30, 2024
The hosts dominated possession of the ball in hopes of turning the fixture around (60%), but their slow pace, combined with a determined defensive showing from the visitors, stifled any comeback hopes.
At times, Ajax had up to 10 players defending, while Feyenoord were without injured centre-forward Santiago Gimenez. The other attacking stars registered only one of 13 efforts on target.
The result means the hosts suffered their first league defeat of the season and sit fourth. The Amsterdam giants, meanwhile, leapfrog their rivals into second with their first league Klassieker win since March 2022.
