AMSTERDAM • With 64 goals in the knockout stages, there remains no better clutch player in Champions League history than Cristiano Ronaldo, a lesson that Ajax learnt the hard way on Wednesday.
The burgeoning Dutch side, who are likely to be broken up at the end of this campaign, had 61 per cent possession of the ball and were fluent in attack as they showed their elimination of Real Madrid in the previous round was no fluke.
Erik ten Hag's men also peppered Wojciech Szczesny's goal with 19 shots, although only six were on target. If there is anything his team lack, it is the presence of a clinical forward like Ronaldo.
While Juventus had to "suffer" in front of a raucous Johan Cruyff Arena, they can boast of the competition's record scorer (125). And, in his first game in a month, all Ronaldo needed was one chance - a diving header to give his team the upper hand for the quarter-final reverse fixture at home on April 16.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri hailed Ronaldo as "on a different level" after their only shot on target yielded a hard-fought 1-1 draw, with Brazilian winger David Neres equalising for Ajax.
The Italian, who is looking to guide his team to their first Champions League trophy since 1996, said: "His timing and movement are different to everyone else's, there's nothing you can do about it. He is a player who just has a different technique than the others.
64Â
Cristiano Ronaldo's goals in the Champions League knockout stages, more than any player including Lionel Messi (42) in second place and even some clubs:Â
53 ArsenalÂ
49 LiverpoolÂ
38 Dortmund/PSG/PortoÂ
34 LyonÂ
33 Atletico Madrid, Inter, MonacoÂ
31 Ajax
"Ajax have great quality, but we defended well and finished the game better. It's a good result because we scored away from home, so the tie is still open.
"We were good defensively, nice and compact. There is good reason to think we can get to the semi-finals. We have great respect for Ajax, but you have to be ready."
Ten Hag admitted that it "isn't exactly what we were hoping for, but it is still a good result".
The Dutchman said: "The last time we lost 2-1 at home to Real Madrid, so everything is still alive for us. In a lot of the phases of the game, we were better. We were excellent in our transitions."
However, he acknowledged that with Ronaldo as the spearhead, his men will be up against it as "they are quick to pounce on a mistake".
He added: "You saw that with the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo. Even if you are running with him and tracking back, he is incredibly quick."
Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, who is heavily rumoured to make a blockbuster move in the summer, also called on his teammates not to be overawed in Turin.
He said: "It's not for nothing we have made it to the quarter-finals. In the return leg, we'll have to give everything because Juventus are incredibly difficult."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Football: Warriors banned from hiring foreign personnel
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Warns Players Against Complacency as Man Utd Boss Eyes Seventh Straight Win " I want players to be confident but not complacent and take their foot off the pedal, because
Man Utd Dimitar Berbatov icon warns Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is
Fulham dig deep to deny Newcastle and earn first clean sheet
'We are going into this with massive confidence': Fulham boss Scott Parker says spirits are sky high after Everton win as he insists side can end miserable away run at Bournemouth
Mourinho has a friend in Ranieri - totemle.com
Bournemouth (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Nine-man Tottenham Hotspur's bid for Champions League football was rocked on Saturday after Nathan Ake's last-gasp winner punished red cards for Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth and condemned Spurs to a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth.
Tim Paine, the Tasmanian hauled from the scrapheap and handed the Test captaincy amid the biggest scandal in Australian cricket history, has pulled off a remarkable victory, humbling Indias
Pele recovering well after kidney stone operation. The 78-year-old former Santos and New York Cosmos player has suffered from kidney and prostate problems and also had hip replacement surgery in
Pele recovering well after kidney stone operation
"That was not a good phase. But we must worry about ourselves and not Germany. "I don't think we are favourites." The Dutch are, however, in confident mood after Thursday's win. "At times we played really good football but it can, and it must be, a lot better on Sunday," said van Dijk.
Dutch not favourites against struggling Germany - Van Dijk
Play at 'world-class' level, Poch tells Spurs
Meanwhile, relatives of missing Premier League player Emiliano Sala on Saturday began a private search for his plane, which disappeared over the Channel, after local police called off their own rescue mission. The news was announced by an online fund-raising campaign for the operation and confirmed by a friend of the Argentine striker's family.
Emiliano Sala campaign raises £130,000 to fund private search
Football: Playing the OLE United way. Manchester United's Jesse Lingard celebrating with Diogo Dalot after scoring in the 3-1 loss to Liverpool on Sunday. New Red Devils caretaker manager Ole
Football: Playing the OLE United way - theworldnews.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment