Celtic suffer heavy Ajax defeat in penultimate pre-season game
Brendan Rodgers' side were looking to build on wins over Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle United but now will face Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia on Saturday in their final pre-season game rather than the tournament hosts.
Netherlands winger Steven Berghuis' superb curled finish put the Dutch side ahead after 17 minutes at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
Yang Hyun-Jun, who had hit the crossbar in the opening minutes, equalised four minutes later when the South Korean winger latched on to Reo Hatate's through ball after Kieran Tierney's long pass had opened up the Ajax defence.
Adam Idah was also denied by the woodwork near the end of a first half in which Celtic dominated possession.
However, the flow of the game changed after the break and Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen restored the lead just short of the hour mark, volleying home after goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel parried a shot off the line.
Ajax pounced on a slack Benjamin Nygren pass inside Celtic's penalty box and Berghuis found the top corner for his second after 66 minutes.
Aaron Bouwman increased the lead when the 17-year-old defender swept a stunning 25-yard drive into the top corner past Schmeichel with 20 minutes remaining before 19-year-old midfielder Rayane Bounida curled another beauty inside the far post.
The defeat means there will be no swift reunion with winger Nicolas Kuhn, who watched from the stand following his recent move to Como, who now face Ajax in the final.
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