Ajax kept their Champions League play-off dreams alive with a thrilling late surge, firing in three goals within 11 frantic minutes to stun Qarabag 4-2 on Wednesday night.
The Dutch giants looked destined to endure a sixth straight defeat in Europe’s premier competition, a first in their history, but a spirited second-half comeback ensured a crucial first victory of the 2025-26 campaign.
Oscar Gloukh was the star of the show, striking twice after the interval, including a composed finish in the final minute, while Anton Gaaei also played a major role with a powerful effort to put Ajax ahead for the first time.
Despite dominating the early exchanges, Ajax were rocked just 10 minutes in when Ko Itakura misjudged a high ball, allowing Camilo Duran to race through and lift his shot over goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros for the opener.
Qarabag smelled blood, pushing for a second goal as Abdellah Zoubir fired a big chance over, before Duran found only the side-netting from close range.
Their wastefulness was punished six minutes before the break when Kasper Dolberg unleashed a fierce long-range strike into the bottom corner to pull Ajax level.
But almost immediately after the restart, the hosts retook the lead. A deflected cross dropped kindly for Matheus Silva, who rifled home from the edge of the box.
Ajax then missed a glorious opportunity through Don-Angelo Konadu, but they finally responded with precision on the counter. Gloukh drifted inside and squeezed a low effort inside the near post to make it 2-2.
Sensing a turnaround, Ajax kept pressing. Gaaei was picked out superbly by Konadu and drilled a blistering strike into the top of the net, before Gloukh completed his brace with a cool finish on 90 minutes, sealing a dramatic win for caretaker boss Fred Grim.
Ajax named two 17-year-olds – Jorthy Mokio and Sean Steur – in a Champions League starting XI for the first time, and the youthful energy paid off as they outperformed their hosts in key areas.
The Amsterdam outfit created more and better chances, posting 20 shots and an expected goals (xG) of 1.61, compared to Qarabag’s 1.09 from only seven attempts.
After a slow European start with just one previous goal, a Wout Weghorst penalty Ajax finally found their attacking stride, with Gloukh central to everything positive.
The midfielder topped the match for shots (5), chances created (4), final-third passes (15), crosses (6), attempted dribbles (3) and ball recoveries (10), underlining his all-round dominance in a crucial victory for the visitors.
