Jose Mourinho’s Benfica finally secured their opening points in this season’s UEFA Champions League as they defeated Ajax 2-0 at the Johan Cruyff ArenA on Tuesday, leaving the Dutch side as the last team still without a point in the competition.
Caretaker manager Fred Grim tried to shake things up after Ajax’s shocking home loss to Excelsior last weekend.
The changes included starting Liverpool loanee Vitezslav Jaros in goal instead of Remko Pasveer, deploying Japanese defender Ko Itakura as a holding midfielder, and giving Belgian prospect Rayane Bounida his professional debut.
Benfica, who were also winless prior to the clash, were forced into an adjustment of their own after winger Dodi Lukebakio suffered a broken ankle in their 2-2 draw against Casa Pia.
Fredrik Aursnes slotted in on the right wing, allowing Amar Dedic to cover at right-back.
The Portuguese side drew first blood early in the sixth minute, when Samuel Dahl reacted quickly to a rebound and smashed the ball into the top corner, capitalizing on a corner sequence that had initially seen an offside missed by the officials.
Ajax struggled to find rhythm in the opening half hour, registering their first shot only in the 25th minute, when Bounida’s skillful dribble ended in a blocked effort.
Davy Klaassen then came close but was denied by Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Despite Ajax attempting 14 crosses in the first half, their creativity was lacking, leaving them trailing at the break.
The hosts pressed after halftime, with Klaassen missing a key one-on-one opportunity, while Benfica continued to threaten on the counter.
Amar Dedic forced Jaros into action with a close-range effort, signaling Benfica’s growing dominance.
The game was sealed in the 90th minute when Leandro Barreiro finished a swift counterattack to make it 2-0, confirming Benfica’s hard-earned win.
Mourinho’s side ended a four-game Champions League losing streak and now look ahead to hosting Serie A champions Napoli.
Ajax, meanwhile, remain pointless, having lost seven of their last ten games across all competitions, and face Qarabag on December 10th.
