UCL: Mourinho's Men End Four-Game Losing Streak

Benfica beat Ajax 2-0

Jose Mourinho's Benfica secure their first Champions League win of the season, beating Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam and leaving the Dutch side as the last pointless team in the competition.

Ajax quickly showed signs of life after Bounida's powerful shot tested Trubin...

Jose Mourinho's Benfica secured their first UEFA Champions League win of the season, beating Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam and leaving the Dutch side as the last remaining pointless team in the competition.

Ajax's caretaker manager Fred Grim tried a new approach, replacing goalkeeper Remko Pasveer with Vitezslav Jaros, moving Ko Itakura to holding midfielder, and giving Rayane Bounida his professional debut. Despite these changes, Ajax struggled to create chances, and Benfica capitalized on their mistakes, scoring two goals through Samuel Dahl and Leandro Barreiro.

Benfica, the only other team struggling in the UEFA Champions League, saw their Belgian winger Dodi Lukebakio get injured with a broken ankle during their 2-2 home draw against Casa Pia.

Fredrik Aursnes started on the right wing, making space for Amar Dedic to fill in as the right-back.

Benfica scored early in the Johan Cruyff ArenA via left-back Samuel Dahl, who fired in a rebound in the upper corner in the sixth minute.

Benfica's Samuel Dahl (#26) lined up to score against Ajax

Ajax had a sluggish start, failing to create any notable chances in the first 30 minutes. In fact, their first shot didn't come until the 25th minute, when Bounida showcased his skills with a slick dribble, only to be foiled by a blocked shot.

Davy Klaassen came close to getting Ajax on the scoreboard seven minutes later, but Anatoliy Trubin made a crucial save to keep the score level.

The lackluster first half highlighted Ajax's struggles to create meaningful attacks, with an alarming 14 crosses already, surpassing their expected total of 13.5. As they headed into the break trailing by a goal, Ajax faces the daunting task of avoiding the unwanted record of being the last team without a point.

Ajax quickly showed signs of life after Bounida's powerful shot tested Trubin, but it was Davy Klaassen who had the biggest chance of the game, inexplicably fliping his shot wide in a one-on-one with the Ukrainian goalkeeper.

Ajax kept pushing after Klaassen's miss, but Benfica's defense held firm. The Portuguese side almost extended their lead when Dedic's shot forced Jaros, the Ajax goalkeeper, into action, diving to make a save at his near post.

Ajax's chances of getting a point slipped away as Benfica sealed a 2-0 win in Amsterdam, with Leandro Barreiro scoring in the 90th minute to secure the victory.

First win of the campaign for Benfica 🦅#UCL pic.twitter.com/YSobAhLwIf

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 25, 2025

Benfica's Winning Streak

The win marks Benfica's first Champions League victory of the season under Jose Mourinho, ending a four-game losing streak. They will host Serie A champions Napoli next, while Ajax remains winless and faces Qarabag in Azerbaijan.

Ajax had possession and created chances, but failed to capitalize, leaving them as the last team without a point in the Champions League. Substitute Oscar Gloukh had the last big chance for Ajax, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome.

The four-time Europa Cup and Champions League winners Ajax have lost seven of their last 10 games across all competitions and will face Qarabag on December 10th, still searching for their first win of the season.