LONDON • Ajax coach Erik ten Hag praised his "young lions" after the Dutch club moved within touching distance of the Champions League final after a deserved 1-0 win at Tottenham on Tuesday.
Donny van de Beek's well-taken 15th-minute goal put Ajax firmly in the driver's seat against a disappointing Spurs side, who face a tough task to turn around the semi-final in next week's second leg in Amsterdam.
"A fantastic achievement. We fought like lions," ten Hag said.
"We are halfway there and in good shape. The willpower was very nice to see."
Having beaten holders Real Madrid and fellow European giants Juventus on the way to their first Champions League semi-final since 1997, Ajax again showed why so many of their squad are attracting attention from some of the continent's biggest clubs.
Van de Beek was superb and even overshadowed Barcelona-bound midfielder Frenkie de Jong, while 19-year-old captain Matthijs de Ligt showed maturity beyond his years to marshal the defence as Tottenham improved after the break.
Had David Neres not been denied by the post late on, Ajax's position would look impregnable, but ten Hag knows the job is not yet completed.
"I think it's an excellent result for us. We won the game. We are satisfied. We have a very good starting point, but we're only halfway through," he told reporters.
"We can play football in different styles. We can defend very well. We have a team that work together really well; they can fight together really well."
1Â
Only one of the 17 previous teams to lose the first leg at home in a European Cup semi-final have progressed to the final, incidentally Ajax in 1995-96.
The 22-year-old van de Beek said he still expected a tough battle next week at the Johan Cruyff stadium.
"The first 30 minutes were good but we found it tough after that. They changed things up and we had difficulty dealing with that," he said. "The second half was really a battle. It will be a tough game next week but, with our own supporters behind us, it will certainly be a huge boost to reach the final.
"We have to develop a good tactical plan so that we can play like we did in the first 30 minutes (of Tuesday's game)."
Tottenham's suspended forward Son Heung-min is set to be involved in the return leg.
And ten Hag is well aware of the danger the South Korean possesses.
"Of course, he's a very good player," he said, when asked if Son will change the way they approach the second leg.
"When he's not available for Spurs, that's a very big disadvantage for them.
"But, of course, we also have very good players to defend against him, and we will do that."
REUTERS
UPDATE 1-Soccer-Hatem wonder strike secures Qatar upset of South Korea. Qatar's Abdulaziz Hatem scored with a stunning late strike as the 2022 World Cup hosts
Qatar knock South Korea out of Asian Cup, Latest Football
However Pochettino went on to distance himself from the rumours, more or less re-affirming his commitment to Spurs by saying: "I have just signed a long contract with Tottenham and I am very happy here." There was rumour that Pochettino's contract with Spurs included a clause that would allow him to leave in the instance of an offer from
Pochettino happy at Spurs but would `have to listen´ to
Mauricio Pochettino will have been glad of the three weeks between Tottenham's last league game and the Champions League final, but it leaves him with some big decisions to make for the big game.
Tottenham's Pochettino comes away empty handed again | ABS
Qatari goal machine Ali targets Europe move before 2022 World Cup Ali notched his ninth goal of the tournament in the 3-1 victory over Japan at Zayed Sports City, bettering the record of eight
Qatari goal machine Ali targets Europe move before 2022 World Cup
World Cup group stage - Ivory Coast vs. Japan. Japan's Eiji Kawashima saves the ball during the 2014 World Cup Group C soccer match between Ivory Coast and Japan at the Pernambuco arena in
TRAIN TRAVEL IN JAPAN | How to buy & use a Japan Rail Pass
Spain court acquits former Barcelona president of money laundering Rosell, his wife and four others, were accused of "large-scale money laundering" of close to 20 million euros ($23 million) since 2006, relating to television rights and sponsorship deals in Brazil.
Spain court acquits former FC Barcelona president of money
Willian eager to stay at Chelsea despite exit rumours The Independent January 13, 2019 SPORTS Leave a comment London, United Kingdom | AFP | Willian insisted he had no intention of leaving Chelsea after his superb goal sealed a 2-1 win at home to Newcastle on Saturday.
Willian eager to stay at Chelsea despite exit rumours
en.rfi.fr/wire/20190112-willian-eager-stay-chelsea-despite-exit-rumours
Willian eager to stay at Chelsea despite exit rumours. "In my opinion, Willian has to stay with us. 22/05/2019 Sport French football.
Willian eager to stay at Chelsea despite exit rumours
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Chelsea: Pedro grabs away goal in
Tottenham not ready to win titles: Pochettino, Football News
Bayern Munich reach German Cup final to keep Double in sight. Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich beat Werder Bremen 3-2 with two goals from Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday to advance to the German
Bayern reach German Cup final to keep double in sight
Ronaldo 'risks missing' Champions League quarters Cristiano Ronaldo is an injury doubt for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Ajax on April 10. a risk he'll miss the
Champions League 2019: Tuesday Odds, Live Stream for Round-of
watch coppa america live streaming live free
watch coppa america live streaming twitch
watch coppa america live streaming gratis
soccer tv live football streaming reddit
watch coppa america live streaming philippines
watch premier league live streaming vf
watch soccer live streaming kenya
watch premier league net live stream channel
watch soccer live stream apk
watch soccer online free streaming live dracula
watch uefa champions league draw live streaming
watch champions league online free live streaming hd
watch coppa america live streaming ufc
watch uefa champions league live streaming free online india
watch champions league live streaming vk
watch champions league simulcast live stream
live tv soccer live stream - live3s.com
watch live streaming soccer online espn3
watch premier league live streaming free
watch coppa america live streaming reddit
watch soccer online free streaming live iphone
watch coppa america live streaming rcti
watch coppa america live streaming eng
watch champions league live streaming now
watch champions league live streaming ptv sports
watch premier league live streaming online
watch iceland soccer live stream
watch coppa america live streaming xfinity
watch coppa america live streaming indosiar
watch coppa america live streaming kenya
super soccer tv live streaming indonesia
watch champions league live streaming bola
watch champions league live streaming eng
watch coppa america live streaming juventus
watch coppa america live streaming hotstar
watch live soccer streaming on android
watch premier league live streaming quality
watch uefa champions league final live streaming free online
watch everton vs tottenham live soccer streaming
watch uefa champions league live streaming sportek
how to watch soccer live streaming free
watch coppa america live streaming in india
watch arsenal southampton premier league live stream
cpl 2018 live streaming watch caribbean premier league t20 2018
watch soccer online free streaming live in english
watch soccer live streaming zee tv
watch champions league soccer live streaming
watch soccer live stream links
watch soccer online free streaming live english
watch champions league live streaming match
watch live english premier league online free streaming
watch soccer online free streaming live bbc
where to watch premier league live streaming
watch usa soccer live stream online
watch soccer online free streaming live youtube
watch coppa america live streaming ronaldo7
watch the premier league live stream
watch afghanistan premier league live stream
watch champions league live streaming mobile
live ipl live streaming- watch indian premier league 2013 online
watch champions league draw live streaming
watch sky sports premier league online free streaming live
watch hd soccer live streaming free
soccer tv live football streaming gratuit
watch coppa america live streaming live
super soccer tv live streaming persib
soccer tv live football streaming portugal
watch live soccer game today
watch coppa america live streaming dailymotion
watch champions league live streaming xbox one
watch premier league matches live streaming
watch soccer aid live stream online
watch soccer online free streaming live world cup
watch coppa america live streaming match
watch live soccer game barcelona vs real madrid
watch soccer live - live football streaming
watch coppa america live streaming free online
watch soccer aid live stream
super soccer tv live streaming piala dunia
watch champions league live streaming live
watch real madrid vs juventus live streaming of champions league
watch sky sports premier league live streaming
#winner #frasitrap #championsleague #streamingbolaid #ballondor #4Series #uefanationsleague #lovefootball #kopisusu #thomasmeunier #manchestercity #rockstar #klopp #tokyo #Bar #kroenkeout #bayervshoffenheim #liverpoolcity #MSport #comics #mensnightout #panini #cr7 #zinedinezidane #fcbarcelona #londoncity #midnight #insegreto #liverpool #alissonbecker #hoffenhiem #afcnews #arsenal #firmino #lfc #linkstreaming #adidasslipon #cristiano #girlsniteout #gunners #bayernmunich #valcea #beatifulgame #romania #barcelona #freekicks #footballfans #villarealcf #oudmehta #leomessi #thebeatles #ronaldo #oasisengland #visubal #nikesoccer #comico #Vip45 #football #acmilan #petercrouch #arsenalfantv #mancityvsliverpool #nationsleague #golf #vandijk #premierleague #fut #soccermemes
0 comments:
Post a Comment