Ajax endured a harrowing evening on February 20th as they narrowly escaped elimination from the Europa League against Union Saint-Gilloise. The Amsterdammers entered the match at the Johan Cruijff ArenA with confidence after winning the first leg 2-0, but things quickly unraveled.
The Belgian side made it clear from the outset of the match they would not be intimidated. Just 16 minutes in, Kevin Mac Allister scored with a header from a free kick taken by Sofiane Boufal, bringing the aggregate score to 2-1.
Three minutes later, Union thought they had equalized through Boufal, only for the goal to be disallowed after VAR intervention deemed it offside. Ajax's situation worsened at the 25-minute mark when captain Davy Klaassen was shown red for handling the ball on the goal line, resulting in a penalty for Union. Promise David converted the penalty, equalizing the aggregate score to 2-2.
The mounting pressure left Ajax scrambling to regain their composure and contend with Union’s relentless attack. Ajax struggled to find their rhythm, with multiple players coming under increased scrutiny, including the inexperienced Jorthy Mokio, who was up against seasoned winger Boufal.
Ajax's coach Francesco Farioli sought to stabilize the ship with some tactical substitutions during halftime. After some equal chances for both sides, including missed opportunities from Union's Ivanovic, the match trudged along to extra time, largely dominated by end-to-end action but no clear path to goal for either team.
Extra time saw both sides pushing hard for the decisive goal. The pressure mounted when the referee awarded Ajax a penalty after Bertrand Traoré’s shot struck the arm of Union’s Christian Burgess. Kenneth Taylor stepped up and calmly slotted the ball home, putting Ajax up 1-2 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate throughout the extended play.
Despite Ajax being reduced to ten men and continuing to fight, Union ramped up their offensive efforts to score once more and avoid elimination. AJAX's goalkeeper Remko Pasveer proved pivotal, making several key saves to preserve Ajax's lead during this frantic period.
Union piled on the pressure with relentless attempts through attempts by Rodriguez and Fuseini. Ajax's defense held solid for the remainder of the half and the match concluded with Ajax advancing to the next stage of the tournament amid sighs of relief from the home crowd.
Ajax's triumph means they will meet either Eintracht Frankfurt or Olympique Lyonnais in the next round of the Europa League.