Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 Ajax (6-2 agg): Gotze nets brace as Eintracht Frankfurt dominate Ajax to secure quarter-final spot
Eintracht Frankfurt is on track to repeat their UEFA Europa League triumph from 2022, following a decisive 4-1 victory (6-2 on aggregate) against Ajax at Deutsche Bank Park, which secured them a place in the quarter-finals against either AZ Alkmaar or Tottenham Hotspur.
In a surprising move, visiting coach Francesco Farioli made ten changes to his starting lineup from the first leg. However, Frankfurt quickly took control of the match, scoring within the first seven minutes.
Nathaniel Brown capitalized on a poor touch from Lucas Rosa, passing the ball to Hugo Larsson and then to Jean-Matteo Bahoya. Although Bahoya initially appeared to be in a challenging position, he executed a series of clever one-twos and displayed intelligent movement, taking advantage of some lax defending to break through on goal and finish confidently past Braga loanee Matheus.
After gaining the lead, Frankfurt seemed determined to secure the tie in the first half, aiming to end a streak of consecutive home defeats that had persisted since November 2023.
Despite striker Hugo Ekitike missing a clear opportunity, the hosts managed to extend their lead. Ajax found themselves temporarily down to ten men when Daniele Rugani was inadvertently injured by teammate Ahmetcan Kaplan, requiring treatment for a head injury.
During this moment, Robin Koch's long pass found Mario Gotze, who had evaded the defense and skillfully slotted the ball into the net.
Dino Toppmoller's team may have felt they should have been ahead by a larger margin at halftime, while Ajax began the second half with more intensity than in the first, though they failed to test goalkeeper Kaua Santos.
At the other end, Ekitike forced a solid save from Matheus, prompting Farioli to look to his bench shortly after the hour mark in hopes of mounting an unlikely comeback.
However, this did not come to fruition, as Ekitike secured the win in an impressive manner. Bahoya delivered a precise pass to his compatriot, who skillfully nutmegged Kaplan and curled the ball into the net with finesse.
While Ajax substitutes Mika Godts and Kenneth Taylor worked well together to narrow the gap, a dreadful error by goalkeeper Matheus, who ventured outside his area, permitted Gotze to lob the Brazilian from a distance, marking his second goal of the night.
In the end, Frankfurt advanced comfortably, having scored in their 23rd consecutive home match with remarkable impact.
SportsLigue