Eredivisie: Ajax Extend Winning Streak with 3-1 Win Over PEC Zwolle
Ajax secured a 3-1 win over PEC Zwolle in the Eredivisie, despite struggling in the second half. Read more.
Eredivisie giants Ajax got away with a big second-half collapse as they beat PEC Zwolle 3-1 and won their third consecutive home game of the Eredivisie season...
Ajax manager John Heitinga put out a surprising starting XI for the home game against PEC Zwolle. Million-euro newcomers Oscar Gloukh, Raul Moro, and Kasper Dolberg were benched in favour of Youri Regeer, Mika Godts, and Wout Weghorst.
Josip Sutalo was also left on the bench as Ko Itakura was fit enough to start after his international games with Japan. Liverpool loanee James McConnell made his debut on the Ajax bench.
Ajax began the match with high intensity, creating early chances through Wout Weghorst. The striker had two promising opportunities to score, but Simon Graves blocked one shot, and goalkeeper Tom de Graaff made a crucial save to deny Weghorst a one-on-one chance. Despite Weghorst's missed opportunities, Ajax took the lead through Davy Klaassen, who scored with a perfectly weighted lob over De Graaff in the 18th minute.
Mika Godts made the most of his first Eredivisie start of the new season and provided much threat from the left side, where former Ajax academy player Olivier Aertssen could not contain the Belgian winger. Godts got several chances in the first half to double Ajax's lead, but saw one effort roll past the far post and the other fly wide.
Godts, who got the nod over the slightly unfit Raul Moro, doubled his side's lead in the 37th minute with an easy finish from a weighted deep ball from Kenneth Taylor.
PEC struggled to get anything going in the first half as the Zwolle outfit recorded a total possession of just 37% in the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
Ajax's momentum waned significantly after halftime, as they struggled to replicate their impressive first-half performance. In contrast, PEC Zwolle remained largely ineffective in the opening 20 minutes of the second half, failing to capitalize on Ajax's lapse. In response to his team's decline, Ajax manager John Heitinga introduced four new players after 67 minutes, bringing on James McConnell, Josip Sutalo, Oscar Gloukh, and Oliver Edvardsen for Youri Regeer, Ko Itakura, Kenneth Taylor, and Steven Berghuis.
Three goals, three points! ❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/XewMNJ1QrH
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 13, 2025
The substitutions aimed to revitalize Ajax's performance and regain control of the match. Despite their struggles, Ajax's first-half lead ultimately proved sufficient to secure a 3-1 win over PEC Zwolle.
Ajax's attempted revival through substitutions didn't get off to a good start. Just two minutes after the changes, PEC Zwolle capitalized on a poor pass from Josip Sutalo, and Kaj de Rooij scored, easily beating Viteszlav Jaros to reduce the deficit to 2-1 in the 69th minute. This goal sparked renewed hope for PEC Zwolle, who were determined to grab a point from the match.
PEC Zwolle had a golden opportunity to equalize in Amsterdam when Gabriel Reiziger, son of former Ajax full-back Michael Reiziger, had a header, but he narrowly missed the target, heading the ball just wide of Viteszlav Jaros' post.
Ajacied van de Wedstrijd: Mika Godts ⚽️⚽️🅰️ https://t.co/r5Vipptvzi pic.twitter.com/Nvgv1peAzi
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 13, 2025
Ajax's performance was a tale of two halves, with the first half showcasing some of their best football of the season. However, the second half was a stark contrast, with Heitinga's team managing just two shots until Mika Godts scored his second goal of the game in the 86th minute. Godts' goal came after a long drought without a shot on target, as Ajax's first attempt on target in the second half proved to be the decisive one.
Ajax will breathe a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping a potential upset against PEC Zwolle, and now they'll shift their focus to their highly anticipated UEFA Champions League match against Inter Milan. The Amsterdam side hasn't played in the Champions League since 2022, adding extra excitement to the upcoming match.
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