Ajax 1-1 Juventus
The big question heading into the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Ajax and Juventus was the fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar had been sidelined for the past few weeks due to a thigh injury, and despite the big Champions League 2019 news that he was included in the squad, it remained to be seen how sharp he’d be.
But Ronaldo pretty emphatically answered any doubts about his overall health. Not only did he start, but he also scored a crucial away goal as Juventus came away with a 1-1 draw.
As was written on the SBOBET preview of the first leg, the draw looked like the way to go. And after that stalemate, this quarter-final tie is very evenly poised heading into the second leg.
Highlights of the game
Juventus had the first real opportunity of the match after less than two minutes. Federico Bernardeschi worked his way toward the edge of the box to get a shot off, but his left-footed strike was slightly too high.
Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech responded with a trio of long-distance efforts of his own. His first shot rippled the side netting, to the dismay of the home fans who thought it had gone in. And his second attempt drew a comfortable save from Juve’s Wojciech Szczesny.
But his third effort was his best, as his curling shot was destined for the top corner. Szczesny was equal to it, though, and pushed it over the bar.
Donny van de Beek was the next Ajax player to come close. After some good work from Dusan Tadic, van de Beek found himself in a great position for a shot inside the box. But the young midfielder’s strike went agonizingly wide of the goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally got his first sniff of goal just before the half-hour mark. He got on the end of a corner kick, but his shot did not trouble Ajax’s Andre Onana.
Ronaldo was involved again in Juve’s next good chance as he headed a Blaise Matiudi cross toward Bernardeschi. But the Italian forward could not quite direct his shot on the turn on target.
And to the surprise of no one, it was eventually Ronaldo who opened the scoring just before half-time. After sending the ball wide to Joao Cancelo, Ronaldo charged his way into the penalty area to meet Cancelo’s cross with a brilliant diving header.
But Ajax weren’t down for too long. They hit back immediately after the break through a brilliant solo effort from David Neres. The young Brazilian dispossessed Cancelo on the left wing and cut inside into the penalty area, where he uncorked a brilliant curling strike to beat Szczesny.
Buoyed by Neres’ equaliser, Ajax went in search for a second goal. They almost got it through Nicolas Tagliafico, but the Argentinian full-back’s well-hit long-range strike went wide.
Juventus then had an opportunity to regain the lead. After Bernardeschi whipped a free-kick into the six-yard box, Juve made claims for a penalty when Rodrigo Bentancur went down after tangling with Tagliafico. But after a brief chat with the VAR official, the referee quickly waved away those claims.
Juventus had the best chance in the final half-hour to steal the win as substitute Douglas Costa hit the post after a strong solo run.
But in the end, Juve had to settle for the draw and the one away goal, which will benefit their Champions League 2019 odds to make it through to the semis.
Key statistics
Ajax dominated much of the play in the first leg at home, which was expected. They had 61 per cent possession and outshot Juve, 19-7. Ronaldo’s goal was the only shot Juve had on target all game.
Speaking of Ronaldo, he has extended his lead atop the all-time Champions League goalscoring charts with his 125th goal in the competition. He’s 17 goals ahead of Lionel Messi, who was unable to find the back of the net against Manchester United.
What’s next?
After reclaiming the lead in the Eredivisie, Ajax will have a relatively easy assignment up next as they host Excelsior, who are second from bottom in the league and have lost their last six matches in a row. Ajax thrashed Excelsior 7-1 in their first meeting this season, so they should still be able to win even if they rest their key players ahead of their trip to Turin.
As for Juventus, they have the opportunity to clinch their eighth consecutive Serie A title this weekend if they get at least a point against SPAL. That should be a relatively simple task, which means they should also be able to rest their stars for the second leg.
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