Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Football: Ajax daze Ronaldo's Juventus to achieve Champions League semis.

Ajax's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong (left), Ajax's Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt (centre) and teammates celebrate after defeating Juventus during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg football match at the Juventus stadium in Turin

TURIN, ITALY (AFP) - Ajax dazed Juventus to achieve the Champions League semi-finals out of the blue since 1997 as Matthijs de Ligt's pounding second-half header verified a 2-1 second-leg triumph in the keep going eight in Turin on Tuesday (April 16). 

Cristiano Ronaldo, offering for his 6th Champions League title, scored a 28th-minute header to put Juve ahead after a 1-1 first-leg draw, however Donny van de Beek leveled for Ajax before half-time. 

High school focus back De Ligt struck halfway during that time period, however, to seal a 3-2 total win and set up a last-four conflict with either Manchester City or Tottenham. 
The youthful Dutch side had just disposed of three-time protecting bosses Real Madrid on the way to the quarters, toppling a 2-1 home annihilation against the Spanish side with a paramount 4-1 triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu. 
Juventus had been hoping to achieve the Champions League semi-finals for the third time in the previous five seasons. 
Be that as it may, Ronaldo, who scored an away objective a week ago with a jumping header in Amsterdam, was Juve's solitary weapon against the amazing Dutch side. 
The 34-year-old was marked for 100 million euros (S$153 million) the previous summer from Real Madrid in an offer to win the European trophy out of the blue since 1996, when they beat Ajax in the last. 

Massimiliano Allegri had been compelled to reshuffle his side due to wounds, with Paulo Dybala returning instead of the harmed Mario Mandzukic, while commander Giorgio Chiellini was additionally sidelined. 

Ajax's safeguard endured a shot when Noussair Mazraoui, who had supplanted the suspended Nicolas Tagliafico, limped off on 11 minutes with a lower leg damage, with Daley Sinkgraven going ahead. 

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana plunged to keep out a singing Dybala half-volley in the twentieth moment. 
RONALDO LEAVES ONANA NO CHANCE 
In any case, Ronaldo locked onto a Miralem Pjanic corner with a descending header that left Onana without zero chance. 
It was the Portugal star's 126th Champions League objective and 6th of this battle, having now scored in his previous six European recreations against Ajax, netting nine objectives altogether. 

In any case, Van de Beek before long quieted the cheers of the home group when he controlled a wayward Hakim Ziyech shot six minutes after the fact, rolling the ball past Szczesny to offset Juventus' away objective and make it 2-2 on total. 
High school striker Moise Kean supplanted Dybala after the break, however it was the Dutch who turned on the style, with just Szczesny's reflexes keeping Juventus in the tie. 
The Polish manager denied Ziyech from short proximity with one hand, and minutes after the fact tipped Van de Beek's twisting exertion over the bar. 

The Juventus back-line battled with the pace of the Dutch group with Pjanic doing great to deny Ziyech a tap-in. 
In any case, Erik ten Hag's side's relentless weight satisfied with 19-year-old captain De Ligt transcending above Alex Sandro and Daniele Rugani to head home Lasse Schone's corner on 67 minutes. 
Ziyech looked as though he had terminated a third past Szczesny, however his objective was controlled offside after a VAR check. 
What's more, the Dutch guests hung tight, with Ronaldo unfit to have any kind of effect after his mind boggling cap trap had maneuvered Juventus into the quarter-finals in the last-16 prevail upon Atletico Madrid. 
Four-time champs Ajax won their third back to back title in 1973 to the detriment of Juventus, and last lifted the trophy in 1995, with their last semi-last appearances finishing off with thrashing by Juve 22 years prior.

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