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Ajax continue Cinderella run in Champions League

By Ernesto Hernandez

(L-R) Hakim Ziyech of Ajax, Lasse Schone of Ajax, Dusan Tadic of Ajax, David Neres of Ajax, Nico Tagliafico of Ajax during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on March 05, 2019 in Madrid, Spain(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R) Hakim Ziyech of Ajax, Lasse Schone of Ajax, Dusan Tadic of Ajax, David Neres of Ajax, Nico Tagliafico of Ajax during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on March 05, 2019 in Madrid, Spain(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /
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Ajax stun Juventus in Turin as the Dutch side advance to the Champions League semifinals.

Ajax continue to defy the odds as they beat Juventus 2-1 to knock out the Italian giants out of the Champions League. Goals by Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Ligt canceled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s opening goal as Ajax proved that their win against Real Madrid was no fluke.

After being the better team in the first leg, they came into the second leg as underdogs considering what Juventus did to Atletico Madrid in the previous round. They faced an uphill battle once Ronaldo opened the score but Ajax refused to change or give up. They continued to play their style of play trusting that it would get them back in the game and indeed it did.

Ajax are a team to be feared and not to be underestimated. They’ve shown Real Madrid and Juventus what they can do and that they’re not intimidated by the occasion or the atmosphere of the opponent’s stadium. A feat made even more impressive given the relative youth of that team. In addition, it’s not like they got fluky goals or luck.

Just like the game in Madrid, between them and Juventus, Ajax were the better side. On paper, there was little difference when looking at possession, shots on goal, total passes, etc. But stats can be deceiving.

Over on the other side, it has to be extremely disappointing for Juventus. With the Serie A title all but wrapped up, their focus was solely on winning the Champions League.They paid €100 million for Cristiano Ronaldo because they saw him as the missing piece that would get them over the hump. It looked like thee were getting a good return on their investment when he scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid and even though he scored in both games against Ajax, it wasn’t enough.

Next. Real Madrid has devised a luxurious plan B for this summer. dark

Ajax will now look to reach the Champions League final for the first time since the 1995-1996 season when they lost to, coincidentally enough, Juventus. The last time they won the whole thing was in 1994-1995 beating AC Milan. The Dutch side will now have a date with one of Manchester City or Tottenham. Regardless of who it is, Ajax have already gotten further than anyone gave them a chance for. Since getting through Real Madrid, they were playing with free money. Perhaps the mentality that they have nothing to lose makes them even more dangerous.

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