AEK Athens make a late effort to try and snatch a consolation goal, but Ajax easily win the ball back.
90'
G. Giakoumakis gets yellow.
Giakoumakis foolishly receives a yellow card for wrestling with Huntelaar at a corner.
There are four added minutes.
89'
Several short passes between Ajax players out on the left force a corner.
88'
De Jong attempts a low pass into Huntelaar but it is intercepted. The ball bounces back into midfield and Ajax have possession again.
86'
Z. Labyad enters the game and replaces D. van de Beek.
Van de Beek is given the final few minutes off as he is replaced by Labyad.
84'
Bakakis breaks up a period of Ajax possession and makes a surging run with the ball. He cuts onto his left foot around 25 yards from goal and the shot goes well high and wide.
82'
G. Giakoumakis enters the game and replaces E. Ponce.
R. Kristensen enters the game and replaces N. Mazraoui.
Ponce has worked hard all night and he is given a deserved rest as he comes off for Giakoumakis.
Ten Hag makes another substitution as Kristensen comes on for Mazraoui.
78'
V. Klonaridis enters the game and replaces P. Mantalos.
Mantalos is replaced by Klonaridis.
75'
De Ligt plays the ball to Neres between the lines and the winger is fouled by Alef. Ajax are happy to tap the ball around at the moment.
Minute
Description
73'
L. Boyé enters the game and replaces Rodrigo Galo.
Boye replaces Rodrigo Galo for the hosts.
72'
D. Tadić has scored a goal for Ajax! Assist by K. Huntelaar.
TADIC GETS HIS SECOND AND IT'S 2-0! The winger passes the ball into the net from eight yards out after Neres went clear through.
Huntelaar gets the assist for a calm, inch-perfect pass to Tadic. Neres went through on goal and turned on the ball to give it to Huntelaar, who sensibly passed again to the arriving Tadic.
70'
Wober jumps highest from a Schone corner but he cannot direct his header towards goal.
68'
Penalty goal scored by D. Tadić for Ajax!
TADIC MAKES IT 1-0! Cool as you like from Tadic from the spot. He jogs up to the ball, waits for Barkas to dive and passes it straight down the middle.
67'
M. Livaja gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
Livaja is shown his second yellow card and is sent off on his Champions League debut for the handball.
62'
K. Huntelaar enters the game and replaces K. Dolberg.
Huntelaar is brought on for Dolberg, who has really struggled leading the line this evening.
60'
N. Mazraoui gets yellow.
De Jong has space out on Ajax's left and swings in a right-footed cross. It is overhit again and AEK Athens head clear.
Mazraoui is shown a yellow card for a challenge to stop a counter-attack.
58'
Ajax have a brief opening for a counter-attack, then Dolberg slips as he tries to control the ball and AEK Athens regain possession.
53'
M. Livaja gets yellow.
Schones shoots from the resulting free-kick which is about 35 yards from goal. His shot bounces and is blocked by an AEK Athens defender.
Livaja is the latest man to go into the book for a rash sliding challenge out on the right.
51'
D. Chyhrynskyi gets yellow.
Chygrynskiy makes another hard challenge on Dolberg with his back to goal. The referee unsurprisingly shows the centre-back a yellow card.
50'
Hult finds Livaja, who switches play to Rodrigo Galo. He plays the ball into midfield before a pass into Ponce. The striker does well to pass into the centre of the box and AEK Athens optimistically appeal for handball. The referee gives a goal kick.
49'
Blind jinks with the ball on the left of the box as he tries to make room for a cross. He is defended well, though, and his cross does not have enough power. Barkas easily claims.
47'
Blind and Tadic have the ball out on the left again. The full-back tries a quick one-two, but Tadic's return pass goes straight to a defender.
46'
The referee blows his whistle and we are back underway.
45' +1
HALF-TIME: AEK ATHENS 0-0 AJAX
44'
Tadic gets space to dribble between the lines and tries a throughball to Dolberg. The midfielder holds onto the ball too long and the striker is caught offside.
43'
Alef dinks a pass towards Ponce in the box. De Ligt jumps highest and heads clear.
41'
Livaja and Ponce play a couple of short passes in the centre circle as the hosts look to counter. A pass to the right is intercepted by Blind and Ajax build another attack.
39'
De Jong runs onto a well-timed pass from Blind in the box. The midfielder takes too long on the ball and is closed down without getting a decent shot off.
38'
Livaja gives away another foul for a shirt pull on de Ligt.
37'
De Jong is in pain after falling hard to the ground following an aerial contest with Livaja. He looks okay to continue.
35'
Tadic turns down a pass to the underlapping Blind and dances past his full-back. He whips in yet another left-footed cross but it is too high for any of his team-mates.
34'
Ponce gets a rare sighting of the ball with a pass down the wing. De Ligt jogs across and easily wins it.
32'
Neres runs onto a pass down the inside-right and tries to cross from the byline. He is quickly closed down and AEK Athens force a goal kick.
29'
M. Oikonomou gets yellow.
Oikonomou slides in on Dolberg from behind on the edge of the box and is rightly shown a yellow card.
27'
AEK Athens are sitting very deep when Ajax have the ball. The visitors are very comfortable keeping possession and the home fans are not impressed with the pattern of the match so far.
25'
Blind and Tadic exchange passes on the left yet again, which sees Blind get some space for a cross. He swings the ball in and forces Barkas to punch clear.
23'
Tadic is closed down by a couple of defenders right by the touchline and goes down after a tackle from Livaja. Ajax get the free-kick and nothing comes of it.
19'
L. Schöne gets yellow.
Mazraoui fires in a cross from the right wing and it goes just above van de Beek's head. AEK Athens clear the ball, but Ajax quickly regain possession.
Schone is shocked to see the referee give him a yellow card for a high foot.
17'
Chygrynskiy clatters Dolberg from behind on the halfway line and is fortunate not to go into the referee's book.
15'
Ajax exchange a few quick passes out on the left wing. They do not make it into the AEK Athens third, however, and Blind gives away a free-kick.
13'
Wober carries the ball out of defence and into the AEK Athens half. He tries to thread a pass down the inside-left channel to Tadic, but it is overhit and the hosts get a goal kick.
11'
Dolberg beats his man to the ball on the edge of the AEK Athens box and van de Beek very nearly gets through on goal. The midfielder gives away a foul inside the area instead.
9'
Blind plays Tadic in down the left touchline. The winger quickly crosses with his left and it is cleared at the near post. Ajax win a corner.
The hosts defend this corner better than the last one and head the ball clear.
7'
Ponce attacks the corner and leaps above his marker. He does not get a good connection with the ball and it goes well wide.
6'
Ponce looks to have got in behind the Ajax defence but de Ligt gets across to intercept. AEK Athens get a corner.
4'
Dolberg puts pressure on Barkas and forces a sliced clearance which goes out for an Ajax throw.
3'
Schone swings a corner to the back post where de Ligt is completely unmarked. The defender is slightly off balance and does not get much power behind his header.
2'
Blind and Tadic exchange passes out on the left and win a corner.
1'
The referee blows his whistle and we are underway!
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the Champions League group match between AEK Athens and Ajax.
AEK Athens are already knocked out of the Champions League having lost all four of their matches in the competition. The Greek club were thrashed 3-0 by Ajax in Amsterdam at the start of the group stage and have failed to score in three of their four matches. Defeat this evening would guarantee they finish bottom of the group.
Ajax are unbeaten in the group and can secure a place in the last 16 if they equal or better Benfica’s result tonight. The Eredivisie side have scored 10 goals in their last two league matches and conceded just one, including a comfortable 3-0 victory away to NAC Breda last Saturday. Erik ten Hag will be confident of a positive result after their domination in the reverse fixture.
Let’s take a look at the teams for tonight’s match, starting with the hosts.
SUBS: Uros Cosic, Lucas Boye, Panagiotis Tsintotas, Viktor Klonaridis, Georgios Giakoumakis, Giannis Gianniotas, Erik Moran.
AJAX (4-3-3): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Daley Blind, Maximilian Wober; Donny van de Beek, Lasse Schone, Frenkie de Jong; David Neres, Kasper Dolberg, Dusan Tadic.
AEK Athens have frustrated Ajax to keep the score 0-0 at half-time. The visitors have dominated the ball, but have struggled to create any clear cut chances. Schone's free-kick that went just over the bar was the closest Ajax have come. The hosts have rarely strung any passes together and their attacking players have hardly been in the game apart from Ponce's effort before the break.
Ajax will be disappointed with that first half. The visitors have been in superb form of late, but they were short on ideas and lacked creativity in the final third. Cerny could be brought on for an extra spark or ten Hag may turn to the veteran Huntelaar as a focal point. AEK Athens will be happy with their defensive effort, though they will be keen to see more from Mantalos and Livaja on the break.
Ten Hag will be delighted that his side have secured qualification before facing Bayern Munich in the final match of the group stage. The visitors were not at their best in the first half, but the penalty and red card completely changed the game. AEK Athens were resolute before the break, though they never offered much when they got the ball. Their attention turns to domestic action, they have nothing to play for against Benfica so they may rest a few regulars.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Until next time, goodbye.
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