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Ghanaian winger Mohammed Kudus scored and assisted in Ajax's win away to Heerenveen
Ghanaian winger Mohamed Kudus scored one and assisted another as Ajax made it four wins in a row with a comfortable 4-2 win away to Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.
Kudus opened the scoring and assisted the second for Edson Alvarez, while further goals from Stephen Bergwijn and Kenneth Taylor wrapped up a good day at the office for Ajax.
The win sees Ajax take the top spot in the Eredivisie ahead of Feyenoord's game against Volendam later today.
How it happened
Ajax were looking to keep up pressure on Feyenoord at the top of the Eredivisie standings ahead of the clash between both clubs next week.
Ajax got off to a flying start away at Heerenveen, scoring three unreplied goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Ghanaian World Cup sensation Mohamed Kudus opened the scoring for Ajax with a brilliant finish from the edge of the box after only 10 minutes. Kudus was in the mix again six minutes later, winning the ball just outside the penalty box and leaving it for Edson Alvarez to hammer home beyond Xavier Mous in goal for Heerenveen.
Ajax made it 3-0 just three minutes later, with Steven Bergwijn’s goal on 19 minutes threatening a blowout for the away team.
Ajax continued to make in-roads against Heerenveen, with Bergwijn hitting the post and Devyne Rensch almost winning them a penalty only for VAR to overturn the referee’s initial decision.
Heerenveen’s coach, Kees van Wonderen, seeing the handwriting on the wall, decided to make three first-half changes, bringing on Alex Timossi Andersson, Thom Haye, and Sydney van Hooijdonk after only 37 minutes.
He got rewarded for his tactical re-jig just five minutes later, as Haye assisted Pelle van Amersfoort to send Heerenveen into the break 3-1 down, and with a chance to make a comeback in the second half.
Ajax, however, made sure to wipe away any hope of a comeback early in the second period as Kenneth Taylor scored early in the second half to leave Heerenveen with a mountain to climb in the tie.
The hosts did reduce the deficit thanks to a van Hooijdonk late in the game, but it was too little too late, as Ajax coasted to a comfortable 4-1 win.
Ajax win seven in a row under Heitinga
Ajax’s 4-2 victory was their seventh in a row under new manager John Heitinga, which made him only the fourth manager in Ajax history to win his opening seven Eredivisie games.
The win also meant that Ajax leapfrogged Feyenoord to temporarily go top of the table, albeit with the Rotterdam-based club playing later today.
The two clubs go head-to-head in the next game week in what could be a title-decider, and the win was vital for Ajax to keep the pressure on Feyenoord.
Man of the Match
Mohamed Kudus’ goal and assist helped Ajax get off to a fast start against Heerenveen and set the tone for the rest of the match in his club’s favour.
The goal and assist were his 11th and 2nd, respectively, of the Eredivisie this season and contributed to five goal involvements in his last five outings.
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