Ajax ended a three-match losing streak in the UEFA Europa League by beating Galatasaray 2-1 at the Johan Cruyff Arena. This handed the Turkish side their first defeat in 27 matches and denied them a top-eight finish.
The game started quietly in Amsterdam, but Galatasaray soon looked the more dangerous team. They created a good move down the right, which saw Victor Osimhen head wide from a cross by Barış Alper Yılmaz. The Nigerian striker had another chance midway through the first half but fired wide again. Ajax took full advantage of that miss, scoring from the next goal-kick. Brian Brobbey’s clever hold-up play took Davinson Sánchez out of the picture, allowing Chuba Akpom to cut inside from the left and aim for the bottom corner. His shot was parried by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, and Bertrand Traoré was quick to tap in the rebound.
After the break, Galatasaray came out looking to equalise, with Gabriel Sara and Kaan Ayhan both testing Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer from distance. However, just like in the first half, Galatasaray were caught off guard as Ajax doubled their lead on the counter-attack. Berkan Kutlu mishit a cross from Anton Gaaei, and Kian Fitz-Jim was quick to finish clinically past Muslera.
Galatasaray responded again, with substitute Michy Batshuayi missing a great chance to pull one back when he blasted a close-range rebound over the bar. Soon after, Osimhen rounded Pasveer but fired into the side-netting from a tight angle. Despite being the top scorers in the competition, Galatasaray seemed short of ideas, which was worrying as Osimhen’s first-half yellow card meant he would miss the first leg of their knockout play-off.
With time running out, Osimhen managed to score from close range after Ajax failed to clear a corner, bringing his goal tally to seven in as many matches. However, there wasn’t enough time for a comeback, and Galatasaray’s longest winless away run in the UEL extended to seven matches. This also marked their first loss in any competition since August. Ajax, meanwhile, leapfrogged Galatasaray to join them as a seeded team in the playoffs, improving their strong record against Turkish sides.
