FCMI
AJAKO
GoalAJA - Antony1'- GoalAJA - Dusan Tadic13'
- GoalFCMI - Anders Dreyer18'
Yellow CardAJA - Perr Schuurs25'
HT
Substitution
3 - Perr Schuurs
4 - Edson Álvarez60'- Substitution6 - Joel Andersson2 - Dion Cools64'
- Substitution36 - Anders Dreyer15 - Bozhidar Kraev75'
- Substitution12 - Noussair Mazraoui5 - Sean Klaiber77'
- Substitution40 - Jens Cajuste10 - EvanderSubstitution9 - Sory Kaba26 - Lasse Vibe81'
- Yellow CardFCMI - Lasse Vibe84'
- Substitution39 - Antony23 - Lassina Traoré90'
FT
FC Midtjylland
Game Stats
Ajax
44%
Possession
56%
9
Shots
5
4
Shots (On goal)
4
3
Corners
3
2
Saves
3
18
Fouls
19
Lineups
31
Mikkel Andersen
6
Joel Andersson
28
Erik Sviatchenko
14
Alexander Scholz
29
Paulinho
40
Jens Cajuste
38
Frank Ogochukwu Onyeka
36
Anders Dreyer
7
Pione Sisto
11
Awer Mabil
9
Sory Kaba
4-2-3-1
24
André Onana
12
Noussair Mazraoui
3
Perr Schuurs
21
Lisandro Martínez
31
Nicolás Tagliafico
18
Jurgen Ekkelenkamp
17
Daley Blind
8
Ryan Gravenberch
39
Antony
10
Dusan Tadic
11
Quincy Promes
4-3-3
Team Stats
FC Midtjylland
| Goalkeepers | G | GC | SAV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Forwards | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81' | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Midfielders | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 81' | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 75' 18' | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 64' | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Substitutes | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64'(Joel Andersson) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 75'(Anders Dreyer) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 81'(Sory Kaba) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 81'(Jens Cajuste) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
Ajax
| Goalkeepers | G | GC | SAV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Forwards | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13' | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 90' 1' | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Midfielders | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 45' | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Defenders | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 77' | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 60' | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Substitutes | G | GA | S | FC | FW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45'(Jurgen Ekkelenkamp) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60'(Perr Schuurs) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 77'(Noussair Mazraoui) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90'(Antony) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
Team Ranks
FC Midtjylland
Game Stats
Ajax
44%
Possession
56%
9
Shots
5
4
Shots (On goal)
4
3
Corners
3
2
Saves
3
18
Fouls
19
Game Stream
- 90'+6'There's no Champions League football for a while now, with the international break looming, but both sides do have domestic ties this weekend. Midtjylland face off with Copenhagen, while Ajax travel to Utrecht. Until then however, thank you for joining us - and have a great week!
- 90'+6'Midtjylland deserve something over the next few months. They're not likely to be reaching the round of 16 - and they're probably the odds-on favourite in Group D to not make the cut for the Europa League either. But today proved that they deserve to be here, coming from a goal down inside a minute to turn this into a competitive encounter. Full credit to them.
- 90'+6'A chalked-off second goal for Antony proved to be moot in the end, as Ajax's quickfire double in the first half is enough to see them get to winning ways in the Champions League against a sparky Midtjylland in Group D. The hosts more than played their part in a initially lively encounter, but couldn't crack the visitors' more defensive approach as the game wore on - and continue their European adventure empty-handed. Full-time at the MCH Arena, it finishes Midtjylland 1-2 Ajax.
- 90'+6'FULL-TIME: MIDTJYLLAND 1-2 AJAX
- 90'+5'There's just a matter of seconds left now. Ajax, through Klaassen, smuggle the ball down the right wing and draw a free-kick near the hosts' box, before running it into the corner. They are in no hurry.
- 90'+3'Is that a penalty for Midtjylland? The call doesn't go their way but the hosts feel they have been robbed of a spot kick after Vibe goes down in the box trying to collect a Sviatchenko header. The referee waves them away and VAR does not take a second look.
- 90'+1'Close for Midtjylland! The free-kick is drilled low and Onana has to get down to just push it away from the bottom-left edge of the post. The follow-up corner presents no clear chance but the hosts keep the ball down in that final third. There will be six added minutes.
- 90'Ajax replace Antony with Lassina Traore as they prepare for this set-piece.
- 90'Kraev draws an inventive foul now for the hosts and they pick up a free-kick 25 yards or so out in midfield.
- 88'Time is slipping away for Midtjylland. Do they have anything left to show? They've been a bit quieter in these late exchanges, Ajax keeping them at bay.
- 86'Ajax man Tadic appears to be in no hurry when the ball falls to him. He's helping to guide a slower style of play over these closing minutes; the visitors are turning the screw with cautious football.
- 84'Vibe may have only been on the field a few minutes but he picks up a booking for his eager efforts now. Just over a handful of minutes left on the clock.
- 83'Neither side have played an exceptional passing game in terms of accuracy tonight, with both in possession of a sub 80 per cent success rate. But Ajax have now pieced together 150 more passes as they look to see this one out.
- 81'The hosts also bring on Lasse Vibe for Kaba.
- 81'Midtjylland ring some late changes as they replace Cajuste with Evander.
- 79'Kaba! The attacker is offside as he goes up for a header and clashes with Onana. Midtjylland will not go quietly into the night.
- 77'Ajax introduce Sean Klaiber now in place of Mazraoui.
- 76'Kaba gets up front now, into the Ajax box, and nudges a relatively loopy cross wide of the right post by some margin. It's a rough connection and the attacker grins sheepishly.
- 75'Bozhidar Kraev is the latest man to arrive for the hosts, with goalscorer Dreyer making way for the final quarter-hour.
- 74'Midtjylland have made a slight habit of playing out from the back under a bit of pressure in this match and they do so again now, almost letting Antony nip in to hook possession back around the edge of the box. They get away with it, though the ball does scuff out for a throw-in.
- 72'What will Erik ten Hag's reaction be at the end of this game if his side hold on for three points? It's a vital boost for their hopes of reaching the last-16, and given how their preparations have been disrupted, he'll surely see it as a win. Brian Priske can likely tell his team to hold their head high too; were it not for their early errors, they would be the equal of their visitors today.
- 69'There's nothing like a bit of VAR drama to spice up a game just as it looked to be stagnating. Midtjylland don't go straight back down the other end and crack a shot of their own off but they do try, only for Promes to intercept a ball after cutting back neatly.
- 64'Now the hosts make their first change of the match, with Andersson replaced by Dion Cools.
- 62'There's movement on the Midtjylland bench - and with two fresher faces on for the visitors since the break, they look set to introduce someone of their own now. Brian Priske is in talks.
- 60'Ajax make their second change of the game now, removing Schuurs - who is on a booking of course - and replacing him with Edson Alvarez.
- 60'Tadic stops Onyeka in his tracks with a challenge that can only be described as granite-like. The Ajax man simply stopped dead in his tracks and let the Midtjylland man run into him like a statue in a museum with poor rope barriers.
- 58'Midtjylland are making their first appearance in the Champions League group stages of course this season; their previous best finish in Europe was a round-of-32 appearance in the Europa League in 2015-16, where they lost to Manchester United. They've got an almost boyish energy to them at points, which is fair enough given they're mixing it with the continent's true elite for the first time.
- 56'Both sides have had three shots on target so far in this game, but it is the hosts who have had more attempts, with seven against four so far.
- 54'There hasn't been as much of an end-to-end series of exchanges as perhaps expected here; neither Ajax have pressed to kill the game off as powerfully as they could and Midtjylland seem to have taken their foot off the pedal. Are they conserving themselves for a late push?
- 52'Both sides will have more on their mind right now, but elsewhere in Group D, leaders Liverpool are turning Atalanta over in some fashion. Victory for Ajax would likely lift them second on goal difference, and that's a nice place to be three games into this first stage of the European season.
- 50'The question is of course whether Midtjylland - playing a particularly fluid midfield so far - can keep this energy up. There's plenty of power in reserve for Ajax and that could hurt them if they can't find the second goal they want early in this half.
- 48'For a game which several might have expected Ajax to walk, even missing a host of key players, it has been a very even encounter. The visitors haven't deployed many more passes compared to their rivals - 300 to 270 or so, in fact. Both sides are playing at a near-equal tempo too.
- 45'+1'Erik ten Hag will know that his side are still ahead, that they have performed well so far, that they may yet add a third as their hosts run out of steam. But he may feel that they should be in greater control of this game than they are. Food for thought for the Ajax boss.
- 45'+1'Antony's sub-minute opener and Dusan Tadic's free-kick from inside the penalty are looked to have put Ajax well on the way to a first victory of the Champions League season - but Anders Dreyer's wonderful left-footed finish has put Midtjylland right back into what is shaping up to be a see-saw European tie. It's still all to play for at the MCH Arena; at half-time, it's Midtjylland 1-2 Ajax.
- 46'Erik ten Hag has indeed made a change at the break, with Ekkelenkamp making way for Klaassen. What can he bring to the visitors' gameplan now?
- 46'We're back underway for the second half in Denmark. Can Midtjylland mount the full comeback here? Or will Ajax see this one through to the final whistle?
- 45'+1'HALF-TIME: MIDTJYLLAND 1-2 AJAX
- 45'There's going to be one added minute before the break.
- 43'Antony skips away for the hosts, looking to double his personal tally for the night, and Paulinho does a robust job in stopping him in his tracks. The two are having a decent tussle over on that wing.
- 41'Mabil is almost released free into the Ajax box again and is muscled off the ball in the nick of time before he can fire a shot at a worryingly wayward Onana. The goalkeeper seemed to have been reading from a different hymn sheet than the rest of his defence there, but they had him covered.
- 40'Some slightly ropey passing around the back from the hosts now almost sees them come unstuck, but Paulinho wrestles a hospital delivery back under control before Tadic can pounce on it.
- 38'This has been an enjoyable, lively occasion these past twenty minutes. Ajax have settled back into a groove with relative comfort, but Midtjylland remain particularly energetic. They've got the smell of a potential upset near their nostrils - though there is a long way to go yet.
- 36'Davy Klaassen appears to be already warming up on the sidelines. Is there a half-time change coming for Ajax? Does someone have a knock or does Erik ten Hag just want to switch things up to throw the hosts off their game?
- 34'Tadic clips Onyeka on the edge of the hosts' box and a free-kick is leathered long by Andersen. It breaks into a half-chance for Sisto down the other end and Onana is forced to cover his area quickly to shut down the danger.
- 32'Mabil! Scholz carves out a gorgeous run from inside his own half and flicks inside to the midfielder on the edge of the penalty area, who lets fly with a low-hanging shot. Onana makes a one-handed stop with some impressive acrobatics to deny him and Ajax blast it away from their lines.
- 30'Possession is marginally favouring Ajax at the moment, who have enjoyed 55 per cent of the ball. But given they were two up on the board with such pace, they have relaxed their grip somewhat as Midtjylland have thrashed back into contention.
- 28'Sviatchenko now gets into the action back down the other end, as a Promes-Tadic move threatens to unlock the hosts again. He clears with a powerful touch and Midtjylland ferry possession back to halfway.
- 26'Sviatchenko! The header from the set-piece comes off the defender and he directs it just wide of the near-right post. Midtjylland have been given a new lease of life by that response. You can almost feel it pulsing through the air.
- 25'Paulinho looks to seize a break and rattle away down the left wing - at least until Schuurs clears him out. It's a rough challenge and results in a yellow card for the Ajax man, plus a free-kick 25 yards or so out on the flank.
- 23'Dreyer! That is an awful fluff from the goalscorer, who could have squared it up before we even got to 25 minutes in this match. Sisto, playing in behind him, supplies a lovely cross as he beats the last defender - and the resulting volley ends up somewhere in orbit. That's a bad miss.
- 21'Ajax look a little shocked by that one and a couple of sloppy passes are almost pinched by Sisto now. They'll need to make sure they don't shut down from that out-of-nowhere response.
- 20'Dreyer looks like Christmas has come early. A Champions League goal. In a campaign which is expected to be fleeting for the Danish side, nobody can take that away from him now (and to confirm, VAR is not going to either!).
- 18'Cajuste had two options there and picked the right one. Having looked down on the canvas only five minutes ago, Midtjylland are right back in this contest with their first Champions League goal of the season!
- 18'GOAL! ANDERS DREYER PULLS ONE BACK FOR MIDTJYLLAND! 2-1! That is an absolute beauty of a left-footed lob by the midfielder, who is the man on the right flank in support of a break from Cajuste on the other side. A neat cross finds him, he canters into the box and pulls the trigger on instinct to beat Onana. What a strike!
- 16'When was the last time you saw an indirect free-kick in the box in a Champions League match though? Brian Priske will surely feel somewhat hard done by with that call.
- 15'Two shots, two goals for the visitors. This has been clinical brilliance from Ajax. When the chances have come, they have seized them.
- 13'GOAL! DUSAN TADIC MAKES IT TWO FOR AJAX! 2-0! An indirect free-kick inside the box! Paulinho looks to have innocuously played the ball back to his keeper, but something has obviously not gone right as the referee signals a set-piece chance on the edge of the six-yard box. Midtjylland back the goal-mouth with a defensive wall, but this close to the right post, the Ajax attacker need only glide it off the nearest outside leg and in at the right post. It's all going wrong for the hosts.
- 13'There is the slightest of touches from Promes as the free-kick is taken that puts a little bit of momentum in the ball and that helps Tadic just leather it past the wall. Clinical stuff and it puts Ajax well into the driving seat before the quarter-hour mark is even reached.
- 11'Credit to Midtjylland, they have not let their heads dip after that early opener. Andersen makes a clean collection now; routine but the sort needed to clear the nerves as Paulinho plays it back.
- 9'Mabil goes down chasing a ball close to the Ajax box and the referee hands a goal-kick to the visitors. There's nothing really to the challenge but Midtjylland are slipping down that left flank with a little more purpose.
- 7'That's better from the hosts now. Paulinho slips down the left wing and clips a cross in that just beats out Kaba's attempted header from distance. String a few more of those together and Brian Priske's side will recover their equilibrium.
- 5'Erik ten Hag of course believes that the best form of defence is attack - his side did win 13-0 last month in a league tie after all - and Tadic is already looking to carve out a second chance for his side. The forward is such a dangerous player when in the mood.
- 3'Well, that was a terrible start for Midtjylland. The hosts have a lot of work to do psychologically to haul themselves back in. Ajax look absolutely elated to have an advantage this early; they could just sit back for the rest of the game if they wanted and let their defence do the work.
- 1'Tadic did so well there in holding possession before slipping the ball away. He played it just so that no defender wanted to go in on him; they could box him but not risk the touch lest they concede a heavy-handed penalty at that range.
- 1'We are underway in this Champions League clash between Midtjylland and Ajax!
- 1'GOAL! ANTONY OPENS AJAX'S ACCOUNT! 1-0! There's not even a minute on the clock and already the visitors are ahead! Ajax play it down the right channel and Tadic is allowed to roam into the box to pick up a square ball. He holds three defenders on the edge of the six-yard box and plays it away to his fellow attacker, whose first touch is clumsy but makes up for with a well-drilled finish that slips past several Midtjylland players and a poor attempt at a stop from Andersen. First blood to the Dutch side.
- -The teams have emerged at the MCH Arena for the Champions League anthem ahead of kick-off.
- -Given the obvious concern over almost a dozen Ajax players contracting Covid-19, it is something of a relief to see that they can take to the field in Denmark. Any fixture cancellations would cause congestion further down the line for both teams, which is something they are surely keen to avoid in an already jam-packed season.
- -Subs: Maarten Stekelenburg, Jurrien Timber, Edson Alvarez, Sean Klaiber, Davy Klaassen, David Neres, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Kjell Scherpen, Zakaria Labyad, Lassina Traore, Victor Jensen, Brian Brobbey.
- -AJAX (4-3-3): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Perr Schuurs, Daley Blind, Nicolas Tagliafico; Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Lisandro Martinez, Ryan Gravenberch; Antony, Dusan Tadic, Quincy Promes.
- -Subs: Jesper Hansen, Dion Cools, Daniel Hoegh, Evander, Bozhidar Kraev, Manjrekar James, Lasse Vibe, Oliver Ottesen, Luca Pfeiffer, Mikael Anderson, Nicolas Madsen, Gustav Isaksen.
- -MIDTJYLLAND (4-2-3-1): Mikkel Andersen; Joel Andersson, Erik Sviatchenko, Alexander Scholz, Paulinho; Frank Onyeka, Jens Cajuste; Anders Dreyer, Pione Sisto, Awer Mabil; Sory Kaba.
- -But the Eredivisie outfit have faced a battle to get here. They were diagnosed with 11 coronavirus cases according to reports and were apparently forced to travel with a reduced squad beforehand. Even so, there's no lack of talent in their starting line-up tonight - and Brian Priske will know that his side face a fight on their hands either way.
- -It has been far from the European start that Erik ten Hag would have hoped for his visiting side tonight, having lost to Liverpool and Atalanta in their first two games. But they will hope that they can get some points off their hosts today, one of the proverbial minnows of this year's competition - who themselves are hunting for a first win in the group stages too.
- -Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League as Dutch heavyweights Ajax make the trip north to face Danish Superliga title holders Midtjylland in a Group D clash at the MCH Arena.
- 90'
Substitution - In23 - Lassina TraoréSubstitution - Out39 - AntonyAjax replace Antony with Lassina Traore as they prepare for this set-piece. - 84'Yellow Card26 - Lasse VibeVibe may have only been on the field a few minutes but he picks up a booking for his eager efforts now. Just over a handful of minutes left on the clock.
- 81'Substitution - In26 - Lasse VibeSubstitution - Out9 - Sory KabaThe hosts also bring on Lasse Vibe for Kaba.
- 81'Substitution - In10 - EvanderSubstitution - Out40 - Jens CajusteMidtjylland ring some late changes as they replace Cajuste with Evander.
- 77'Substitution - In5 - Sean KlaiberSubstitution - Out12 - Noussair MazraouiAjax introduce Sean Klaiber now in place of Mazraoui.
- 75'Substitution - In15 - Bozhidar KraevSubstitution - Out36 - Anders DreyerBozhidar Kraev is the latest man to arrive for the hosts, with goalscorer Dreyer making way for the final quarter-hour.
- 64'Substitution - In2 - Dion CoolsSubstitution - Out6 - Joel AnderssonNow the hosts make their first change of the match, with Andersson replaced by Dion Cools.
- 60'Substitution - In4 - Edson ÁlvarezSubstitution - Out3 - Perr SchuursAjax make their second change of the game now, removing Schuurs - who is on a booking of course - and replacing him with Edson Alvarez.
- 25'Yellow Card3 - Perr SchuursPaulinho looks to seize a break and rattle away down the left wing - at least until Schuurs clears him out. It's a rough challenge and results in a yellow card for the Ajax man, plus a free-kick 25 yards or so out on the flank.
- 18'Goal36 - Anders DreyerGoal! FC Midtjylland 1, Ajax 2. Anders Dreyer (FC Midtjylland) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Jens Cajuste.
- 13'Goal10 - Dusan TadicGoal! FC Midtjylland 0, Ajax 2. Dusan Tadic (Ajax) left footed shot from very close range to the top right corner. Assisted by Quincy Promes following a set piece situation.
- 1'Goal39 - AntonyGoal! FC Midtjylland 0, Ajax 1. Antony (Ajax) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Dusan Tadic.
Match Info
MCH ArenaAttendance: 132Upcoming
Quarter-Final 3 Winner0-0-0- Quarter-Final 1 Winner0-0-0
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