Ajax slipped to a 2-2 draw against Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday, failing to build momentum after last weekend’s unconvincing win over newly promoted Telstar.
Despite early goals from Davy Klaassen and Youri Baas, John Heitinga’s men were pegged back by strikes from Melle Meulensteen and Evert Linthorst.
The Amsterdammers handed a debut to summer signing Ko Itakura, who joined from Borussia Monchengladbach for a fee in excess of €10 million.
Both sides entered the fixture on shaky form, Ajax needing late goals to beat Telstar 2-0, while Go Ahead settled for a 2-2 draw at Fortuna Sittard.
Ajax began brightly and were in front inside three minutes when a routine cross from Raul Moro caused chaos in the Go Ahead backline, allowing Klaassen to head home after Gerrit Nauber’s failed clearance.
The visitors nearly doubled their lead in the 19th minute through Kenneth Taylor, but the midfielder dragged his effort narrowly wide.
Go Ahead hit back almost immediately. A poorly defended set-piece saw Victor Edvardsen recycle possession and whip in a cross for Meulensteen, who was left unmarked to nod past the Ajax keeper.
Edvardsen was again influential just before halftime, delivering a low ball into the area for Linthorst to steer home in the 44th minute.
Ajax responded before the break, with Anton Gaaei’s cross finding Wout Weghorst, whose header dropped into the path of Jorthy Mokio. His attempt was blocked, but Baas pounced on the rebound to restore parity at 2-2.
The second half saw both sides fade, with few clear-cut opportunities. Steven Berghuis thought he had given Ajax the lead midway through the half, only for his effort to be ruled out for handball after VAR review.
In the end, the draw left Heitinga with more questions than answers about his side’s defensive fragility and inconsistency.
Ajax will look to bounce back when they host Heracles Almelo next weekend, while Go Ahead search for their first win of the campaign against Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday.
