Groningen vs Ajax 2-5

Ajax won 5-2 at Groningen after a lively second half took the game away from the hosts. Julian Brandt scored twice, Jorthy Mokio added two more and Groningen were left chasing after a missed Ajax penalty, a cancelled Groningen spot-kick and another missed penalty at the end.

Ajax missed a penalty through Davy Klaassen in the 10th minute, then saw a Groningen penalty for Brynjólfur Darri Willumsson cancelled by VAR on 16 minutes. Brandt opened the scoring in the 27th minute and Aaron Bouwman made it 2-0 on 37 minutes before Willumsson pulled one back on 49 minutes. The half-time score was Groningen 0-2 Ajax.

A VAR decision then ruled out a Davy Klaassen goal on 56 minutes, but Brandt restored Ajax’s two-goal lead on 60 minutes from Owen Wijndal’s assist, and he did so for his second of the match. Jorthy Mokio made it 4-1 on 69 minutes and then, after Ajax made two changes on 74 minutes, struck again on 75 minutes from Klaassen’s assist. Groningen made four changes on 83 minutes and Thom Van Bergen replied in the same minute, but Groningen then missed another penalty through Van Bergen in the 90th minute plus one.

Groningen had 57% of the ball and 438 passes to Ajax’s 449, while also having more shots, 16 to 15, more corners, 7 to 4, and more fouls, 12 to 17. Ajax were more accurate in front of goal, with 11 shots on target to Groningen’s 5, and finished with a slightly higher xG of 2.86 to 2.21. Groningen also had 1 offside to Ajax’s 4, and the saves count was 4 for Groningen and 3 for Ajax.

Thom Van Bergen was booked on 40 minutes and Ajax’s yellow cards went to Dies Janse in first-half stoppage time and Lucas Oliveira·Rosa on 90 minutes.