22:28
Benjamin Tahirovic is replaced by Anton Gaaei
22:28
Yellow card for Benjamin Tahirovic
22:27
Yellow card for Siebe Horemans
The entire Johan Cruijff Arena screams for a red card after Horemans’ handball. The referee doesn’t want to do it and dismisses it with a yellow card. Then gets Tahirović for comments on the lead. The midfielder has therefore been suspended and will miss next week’s match, just like Bergwijn.
22:26
Sanches Fernandes is allowed to take a free shot and shoots just wide, although the flag is then flagged for offside. Yet another dangerous moment from Excelsior.
22:25
Banners in the Arena
Once again, banners can be seen with the text ‘Team Kroes’ and ‘Van Praag get the hell out of here’. This also happened earlier in the match against FC Twente.
22:24
Excelsior drops a little more in this phase of the match and lets Ajax make the play. That’s going well for the time being, because the Amsterdam team doesn’t do much with the ball. Now it’s Kaplan with a cross that deflects completely.
22:22
Free kick Ajax into the wall
A foul on Taylor van El Yaakoubi and Ajax gets a free kick just outside the penalty area. Tahirović and Taylor discuss and in the end it is the latter who claims the ball. However, Excelsior’s wall is doing its job and so goalkeeper Van Gassel does not have to act. The two corners that follow are also harmless.
22:19
Ajax still has more than half an hour to make up for the deficit, but then it will have to take a different approach. In that case it seems to have to come from Godts tonight. The creative person is the dangerous man on the Ajax side.
22:13
1-2 GOAL by Lazaros Lamprou!
It is Goudmijn with a measured cross and Lamprou nods in for Excelsior. A new downer for Ajax and so Van ‘t Schip’s team must fear a first ever home defeat against the Rotterdam team.
22:09
Rulli is quick, but if Goudmijn’s through ball had been a little less hard, Excelsior could have made it 1-2. Ajax has been warned.
22:06
Second half kicked off
Excelsior will take a shot at a first ever victory over Ajax in the Johan Cruijff Arena. On the other hand, the home team must win in the battle for that important fifth place in the Premier League. We’re going to sit tight for the next 45 minutes.
21:59
The moment with Bergwijn
Look and judge for yourself, is the red print that Bergwijn received justified?
By the way, the Dutch international has not previously received a red card in his professional career. For Ajax is the third direct red card of this season. Devyne Rensch (against FC Utrecht) on March 3 and Ahmetcan Kaplan (against Sparta) on March 17 were also sent off prematurely this Premier League season.
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9:50 PM
End of first half
Ajax enters the dressing room with ten men and a 1-1 score on the scoreboard. What is John van ‘t Schip going to come up with to win the match after all?
21:49
Ajax escapes
A back pass from Taylor is too short and Rulli shoots hard against an incoming Excelsior attacker. The leather disappears just short of the target. The duel remains in balance.
21:48
A counter by Ajax via substitute Akpom and Godts ends in the hands of Van Gassel. The Belgian winger only produces one roller.
21:47
Kaplan does not properly assess a situation with Benita and so Excelsior becomes dangerous again. However, the man marker recovers and turns it into a corner. The people of Rotterdam should know not to cause any danger with this.
21:44
Brian Brobbey is replaced by Chuba Akpom
Brobbey leaves the field and heads to the locker room. Is the striker injured? It doesn’t look that way, but maybe there is something going on. We will certainly hear more about that after the match. Akpom is his replacement.
21:38
1-1 GOAL (Penalty) by Julian Baas!
Baas takes the penalty and Ajax has to continue with ten men.
21:36
Red card for Steven Bergwijn
Yes, it’s a penalty and it gets even worse for Ajax. Bergwijn gets red. The referee judges that Benita had broken through and so the attacker is sent away.
21:36
VAR: Red card confirmed
21:32
Penalty Excelsior? Referee Van der Eijk points to the dot. Benita storms into the penalty area and Bergwijn holds him. The VAR will take a look and now calls the referee to the side.
21:27
1-0 GOAL by Devyne Rensch!
Taylor passes the ball from the left side and Rensch finishes when Zagré does not intervene adequately and the ball hangs. The team from Amsterdam are ahead at home without playing well.
21:25
The pace briefly increases at Ajax after a combination between Godts and Tahirovic. The ball ends up with Bergwijn, but then the speed is immediately lost from the attack. Excelsior is well organized and gives away virtually nothing.
21:22
Ajax looked very awkward in the 4-3-3 formation in the first quarter of the match. Can the home team find an extra gear?
21:17
Rulli keeps Ajax going
Excelsior gets the biggest chance in the match so far. Baas gets the ball at his feet after a great pass from Sanches Fernandes. The midfielder takes a hard shot from about fifteen meters and Rulli has to take action.
21:13
First chance is for Ajax
It is Godts who passes his man and reaches the back line. He lashes out, but finds Excelsior goalkeeper Van Gassel on his way. The rebound was not spent on any of the other Ajax players in the sixteen.
21:09
Defense does its job
Sanches Fernandes is sent off and seems to be able to provide some threat. However, Ajax’s defense is good and so there is no danger from Excelsior’s side. We have to wait for the first chance in the match.
21:07
A cautious start for the home team. Ajax cannot keep the ball in the team for long, so Excelsior is doing well for the time being.
21:04
There Excelsior comes close to the Ajaxgoal for the first time. However, Hato intervenes well by providing back cover and thus ensures that Rulli can take the goal kick.
9:00 PM
First half kicked off
The ball has started rolling in Amsterdam.
20:56
Players enter the field
The players from Ajax and Excelsior appear there. In a few moments we will start in Amsterdam. We do this on a wet lawn, because there has just been a heavy shower in the stadium.
20:55
Who will take fifth place?
This is what the remaining program for Ajax (48 points), NEC (47 points) and FC Utrecht (45 points) looks like:
Ajax:
– Excelsior (home)
– Volendam (away)
– Almere (home)
– Vitesse (out)
NEC:
– AZ (home)
– Excelsior (away)
– Feyenoord (home)
– Almere (away)
FC Utrecht:
– RKC (home)
– Vitesse (out)
– Sparta (home)
– AZ (off)
20:43
Ajax started warming up
In just over fifteen minutes we will kick off in the Johan Cruijff Arena.
20:42
Van ‘t Schip about 4-3-3
Ajax once again played in a 4-3-3 formation in the second half against FC Twente and the Amsterdam team will do so again tonight – due to their success against the Tukkers. At ESPN, John got from ‘t Ship asks whether he has already thought about returning to a system with four defenders.
“You talk about it all the time, but at some point you have to hold on to something,” said the coach. “And having to change formation every time is not ideal either. This was the moment (against FC Twente in the second half) to do something. There wasn’t the right flow and energy and we got that in the second half yes in. That is a turning point.”
20:33
Mislintat already has a new club
And also another transfer news from the beginning of this week: the dismissed Sven Mislintat already has a new job. The former director of Ajax’s football affairs is returning to work at Borussia Dortmund.
20:21
Conceição is permanently leaving Amsterdam
Whether Ajax plays Europa League, Conference League or perhaps no European football, the Amsterdam team will have to make do without Francisco Conceição next season. The 21-year-old Portuguese attacker has signed a five-year contract with FC Porto, which already rented him this season and now has the purchase option for 10 million euros.
20:09
Field inspection Excelsior
The visitors from Rotterdam have just explored the turf in a currently empty Johan Cruijff Arena.
20:02
Ajax has to work hard
For Ajax, there is both tension and complacency lurking in the battle for fifth place, which, after Feyenoord’s cup win, entitles them to Europa League football. The specter in Amsterdam is that the errant number 5 of the Netherlands will be caught by NEC or FC Utrecht and will then be sentenced to the play-offs, in which only a preliminary round spot in the Conference League can be earned. Read more here.
19:58
Excelsior setup
Van Gassel
Horemans, Benita, El Yaakoubi, Zagré
Sandra, Goldmine, Boss
Sanches Fernandes, Duijvestijn, Lamprou
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19:46
Ajax line-up
John van ‘t Schip has opted for a 4-3-3 formation tonight. These are the names that will appear at the kick-off. So no Branco van den Boomen, yes Benjamin Tahirovic. The Bosnian came on well against FC Twente and can therefore remain.
Jordan Henderson resumed group training this week after a back injury, but he is not yet in the selection. Steven Berghuis and Kristian Hlynsson are also still missing.
Rulli
Rensch – Sutalo – Kaplan – Hato
Tahirovic – Mannsverk – Taylor
Godts – Brobbey – Bergwijn
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19:32
Driouech will be back this season after all?
A stroke of luck for Excelsior towards the end of the season. There is a chance that Couhaib Driouech will play again this season. Three weeks ago, the 22-year-old attacker left the field crying in the match against PSV with a hamstring injury, but now there is a glimmer of hope.
19:21
Good evening
Welcome to the live blog of the Premier League match between Ajax and Excelsior. Kick-off takes place at 9 p.m. in the Johan Cruijff Arena. Earlier this season, the two clubs played 2-2 against each other in Rotterdam.
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