Ajax qualified for the eighth finals of the KNVB Cup against an excellent Telstar on Thursday. Francesco Farioli’s team played poorly and had to thank Daniele Rugani and Chuba Akpom for the victory.
The fact that there is little to report about the first half is a great compliment to Anthony Correia’s Telstar. The visitors from Velsen-Zuid were of course forced back, but gave little away against an undersized Ajax. On occasion the visitors even came forward, albeit with little venom in their outbreaks. The half-time signal was accompanied by grumbling.
Farioli intervened: Steven Berghuis and Brian Brobbey stayed in the dressing room, Branco van den Boomen and Wout Weghorst had to help get the job done. Weghorst also had a serious chance about ten minutes after the break, but he was unable to score from close range. It was a rare opportunity: a disciplined defending Telstar had no trouble with a slow-playing Ajax.
A set piece brought relief. From a corner kick it was Rugani who broke the spell in the Johan Cruijff Arena. The Italian cleverly sent the ball into the far corner and thus chose an opportune moment for his first goal in red and white service. The picture of the game did not change drastically: Telstar still had to hold back, and the deficit did not change that.
Last. Jong Ajax won 3-0 against Telstar last month, Ajax 1 kept it at 2-0 tonight. It was again not sparkling, but #Ajax has advanced to the eighth finals of the TOTO KNVB cup tournament. #times
— Lentin Goodijk (@LentinGoodijk) December 19, 2024
A few minutes before the end, Correia brought in an extra striker in Reda Kharchouch, to be well occupied if there was another chance to force extra time. That was no longer possible for Telstar, which had to finally raise the white flag four minutes before the end after a good headed goal by Akpom.
Click above or below the video to watch the goal:
This puts an end to the cup adventure for Telstar, supported by 1200 fans in the away section. The diehards among them can expect a long bus trip on Sunday afternoon: the North Hollanders will close 2024 at MVV Maastricht. Ajax is scheduled for the eighth finals on Friday and has one more assignment this calendar year: winning on Sunday when they visit Sparta Rotterdam.
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