Ajax was indeed the better team in Tilburg for a long time, but struggled to score. “The statistics were unreal. In the first half, we had more than 30 touches in Willem II’s penalty area.”
Still, the goal came at the other end, and Ajax ultimately needed about 75 minutes to break down the home side’s defense. “Willem II defended really well, so it wasn’t easy. But in the end, it was a very important result.”
The Italian coach noted that Ajax at least started better against Willem II than they had the previous week against NAC. “The team’s aggression was good. That was better than the start against NAC.”
“The only thing is we lacked some aggression in the penalty area, especially in the first half. But in the second half, I did see that we were eager to score. You could also see that in the 1-1.”
Important substitutes
The goals were scored by substitutes Oliver Edvardsen and Wout Weghorst. A good move by the coach, who decided to make changes after an hour. “I wanted to change the dynamic. For example, I brought on Steven Berghuis because we can speed up the play with him. Also, Wout Weghorst is obviously very effective in the penalty area.”
With five matches to go, Ajax still holds a nine-point lead over the competition. “We have five finals left to play,” Farioli repeated. “This was a very important victory. With it, we've at least secured a top-three finish. That means we’ve qualified for the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League, which is crucial for the club.”
