Ajax friendly ends in draw

Match summary:

In front of 3,000 fans at the sold-out Robert-Schlienz-Stadion, VfB started brightly and after Nick Woltemade and Anthony Rouault went close, the Bundesliga side took the lead with their third chance through Angelo Stiller. Six minutes later, Chris Führich went from provider to scorer as he finished off a fine move.

Ajax came into the game more as the first half wore on, but Bertrand Traore squandered their only real opportunity.

The visitors made wholesale changes at the break, with only Daniele Rugani staying on, and it was the Italian who reduced the deficit in the 52^nd minute from a free-kick. Ajax midfielder Davy Klaasen was then shown a red card for a late foul on Atakan Karazor but after discussions between both sides, he was allowed to stay on the pitch.

The contest then flattened out for a while, partly down to the numerous substitutions on both sides – including Jamie Leweling’s comeback for VfB. However, it livened up again towards the end, with Chuba Akpom testing Fabian Bredlow before levelling the score in the 85^th minute.

In the final action of the regular 90 minutes, Yannik Keitel struck the bar from a free-kick. An extra 15 minutes were then played to give all the players more game time, but the score remained at 2-2.

Goals:

13^th minute: VfB are rewarded for their positive start as Führich threads a well-timed pass through to Stiller, who guides it past goalkeeper Remko Pasveer.

19^th minute: Wonderful link-up play from VfB as Woltemade lays the ball off and Ermedin Demirovic dummies it for Führich, whose finish from close range is too powerful for Pasveer.

52^nd minute: Ajax start the second half strongly and reduce the deficit, Rugani bundling the ball in from a free-kick.

85^th minute: Owen Wijndal’s low ball into the box picks out the unmarked Akpom, who’s left free to slot in the equaliser.

Sebastian Hoeneß: “We played very well in the first 45 minutes, were very proactive and created some chances. We eased off a bit in the second half, even if we didn’t really give them any opportunities. I felt the second half was evenly balanced but towards the end of the game we lacked incision going forward. Overall, I’m satisfied with this friendly, especially in terms of the boys’ intensity and attitude.”