Ajax 5 Celtic 1: Heavy defeat for Rodgers' side in Como Cup
The Hoops were looking to build on impressive wins over Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle and were the better team in the first half.
Yang Hyun-jun slotted home a quickfire equaliser for Celtic after Steven Berghuis had curled the opener. The South Korean winger latched on to Reo Hatate's through ball after Kieran Tierney's wonderful long pass had opened up the Ajax defence.
The Dutch side took control immediately after the interval. Davy Klaassen scored on the rebound and Berghuis got his second after a misplaced pass from Benjamin Nygren deep in his own half.
Spectacular long-range strikes from Aaron Bouwman and Rayane Bounida made it a difficult finale for the Scottish champions.
The defeat means there will be no swift reunion with winger Nicolas Kuhn, who watched from the stand following his recent move to Como. Ajax will now take on the hosts in the final of the Como Cup while [[Celtic]] will face Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
7 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers advance - for now: The gas man saves day yet again against a regret-ridden foe
Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Just as Rangers' fuel levels started to dip into the reserve zone in the sweltering heat of Athens, up popped their new gas man. Djeidi Gassama had only been on the pitch three minutes when he showed brilliant technique to drill home a high angled ball into the Panathinaikos net on the hour mark. It restored parity in a match that was getting away from the Scottish side and permitted them progress into the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gassama, a £2.3million signing from Sheffield Wednesday earlier this month, is already repaying what many saw as already bargain buy. He netted three minutes into his debut last week, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win over Panathinaikos in the first leg at Ibrox, and is fast showing his credentials as a super-sub. Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland celebrates the 1-1 draw in Athens against Panathinaikos. | SOOC/AFP via Getty Images The 21-year-old Frenchman will be a starter soon enough, once his fitness is up to speed. Perhaps even next week when Rangers' Champions League qualifying quest comes up against its next opponent in either Servette or Viktoria Plzen. This 1-1 draw in the Greek capital ensured a 3-1 aggregate victory over a Panathinaikos side left addled by regret. Rangers weren't very good in Greece. They passed sloppily, coughed up chances and rarely carried a goal-threat. They were indebted to some smart goalkeeping from Jack Butland but more so to some glaring inadequacies from their hosts, who not just in Athens but in Glasgow displayed profligacy in front of goal and softness at the back. Not that Rangers and their new head coach Russell Martin will grumble much. These are very early days for the boss and his players as he attempts to instil a fresh way of football in Govan. Some feared they would fall at the first hurdle but in a stadium that hosted the Olympics 21 years ago, they cleared it. Whatever technical deficiencies that were on show were cancelled out by grit, guts and determination. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We know why Rangers are work in progress - but that won't cut it in Champions League The likelihood is though that Rangers will need to raise the bar significantly if they are to reach the promised land. Their goal led a charmed life over the two legs and better teams than Panathinaikos lie in wait. Some explanation can be found in the fledgling nature of Martin's tenure, but the cut-throat environment of the Champions League won't mitigate for that The opening exchanges in Athens were similar to eight days ago in Glasgow. Panathinaikos started brighter, were crisper in possession and attacked with more intent. They forced Rangers into mistakes and just like at Ibrox, the Greeks failed to take advantage. By the ten-minute mark, Panathinaikos had forced a flurry of corners. Rangers stood up to an aerial bombardment but then so nearly turned the gun on themselves on 13 minutes when John Souttar left a long ball which Max Aarons dithered upon, allowing Facundo Pellistri to scamper clear into the visitors' penalty box. A heavy touch allowed Jack Butland to narrow the angle and the Uruguayan's shot was straight at him. Jack Butland is unable to stop Panathinaikos taking the lead. | SOOC/AFP via Getty Images Pellistri again misfired from a central position inside the box after Panathinaikos seized on some sloppiness from Nasser Djiga. Not helped by a poor bounce of the ball admittedly, but the ex-Man Utd man really ought to have at least hit the target. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Captain and No 9 Fotis Ioannidis did at least test Butland with a smart header that was just too central to cause any damage. With the exception of a few counter attacks, Rangers spent most of the game in survival mode. The visitors could not get a handle on proceedings and benefitted from their opponents being toothless when asked to sink their teeth into opportunities. Martin would therefore be happy for his team to enter the sheds with their clean sheet in tact. This was not a strong first-half performance from his team, riddled with disorganisation and stray passes. Six minutes of drama as Gassama saves day for Rangers The start of the second half followed a familiar pattern. Rangers could not keep the ball, Panathinaikos could not do anything noteworthy with it. By the 50th minute Rangers were already entering into a phase of game-management - time-wasting is what critics would call it. The home crowd booed in disapproval. Those jeers turned to cheers, however, on 54 minutes when Panathinaikos took the lead. Finally Rangers' resistance waned. The goal wasn't pretty but Panathinaikos did not care. The ball was swung into the box from Rangers' left and Filip Djuricic ambled in unmarked. He did not connect properly with his header but it had enough direction and spin to deceive Butland and slither into the net. The offside flag was raised initially but after a painfully long VAR check, the goal was awarded. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Panathinaikos sensed blood. Souttar gave possession away cheaply on the halfway line and Djuricic stormed forward, only for his low cross to have too much juice on it and evade Ioannidis. Mohamed Diomande tries to drive Rangers forward in Greece. | SOOC/AFP via Getty Images What a moment that was, because on the hour-mark, Rangers levelled the match and restored their two-goal cushion in the tie. Nicolas Raskin drove forward, the ball came to Danilo and while his two efforts were blocked, Gassama caught the ball flush on the volley and it barrelled into the net via the far post. It was a surprising moment given that Rangers had been so inoffensive thus far, but entirely in keeping with the theme of this tie. Whenever Panathinaikos appeared like they were taking control, the Glasgow side pulled a rabbit out of the hat. The Greeks needed to respond. Ioannidis was again a couple of centimetres from connecting with a delicious delivery from out wide. The captain wailed in frustration, knowing that with 20 minutes to go, time was running out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scottish Sun
7 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Chelsea agree £37m Jorrel Hato transfer with defender, 19, to sign 7-YEAR contract taking summer splurge to over £200m
Blues are in talks to sign another Dutch international JORR DROPPING Chelsea agree £37m Jorrel Hato transfer with defender, 19, to sign 7-YEAR contract taking summer splurge to over £200m Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHELSEA have agreed a deal to sign Jorrel Hato from Ajax for £37million. The Blues have held long-term interest in the Netherlands international, 19, who will sign a seven-year-deal. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Jorrel Hato Credit: Getty Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! Hato can play at both left-back and centre-back and is thought to be primarily considered as cover and competition for Marc Cucurella. The defender has been a target for Arsenal and Liverpool in the past. Hato is set to travel for a medical after being given permission to travel to London and complete the move. Chelsea are still looking to move on left-back Ben Chilwell and defender Axel Disasi before the end of the summer window. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL MADE FOR BATTLE Newcastle & Utd in second striker battle with U21 Euros star joining Sesko Hato's arrival will take Chelsea's summer spending over £200million, with the Blues still in talks to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig. Personal terms are thought to be close and the 22-year-old would be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge. Though Chelsea have made Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers their top target and could decide to pursue him instead. Meanwhile Carney Chukwuemeka could move the other way with the Blues and Leipzig holding talks about both players. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS It is understood that the moves would be separate deals due to PSR. Simons scored 10 goals and laid on seven assists in 25 Bundesliga appearances for Leipzig last season and has also been linked with Arsenal.
The National
18 minutes ago
- The National
Potential Celtic rivals in Champions League play-off revealed
The Parkhead club enter the play-off round of the competition later this month. Victory in the play-off round would see Celtic advance to the league phase of the Champions League. Celtic are a seeded club for the play-off round, in theory meaning an easier draw. They will avoid Bodo/Glimt, Copenhagen, Ferencvaros and Red Star Belgrade, who are also seeded for the draw. Possible opponents for Celtic include Basel, Sturm Graz, Pafos or Dynamo Kyiv, Slovan Bratislava or Kairat, Qarabag or Shkendija. The draw will take place on Monday, August 4. Read more: Champions League play-off round draw Seeded Bodo/Glimt Celtic Ferencvaros or Ludogorets Red Star Belgrade or Lech Poznan Copenhagen or Malmo Unseeded Basel Sturm Graz Pafos or Dynamo Kyiv Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Qarabag or Shkendija
