Ajax Under-17s have been knocked out of the Future Cup. Stan Bijl’s side lost 1-2 to Real Madrid’s reserves in the tournament’s semi-final.
After Ajax had progressed through the group stage of the mini-tournament on Easter Sunday, things went wrong on Monday afternoon at De Toekomst. The Amsterdam side found themselves trailing early on following a somewhat soft penalty.
In the second half, Ajax fought their way back into the game. Luca de Baat struck the ball from a long way out, it deflected off Denzel Darko’s back and flew into the net: 1-1.
Shortly after the equaliser, Ajax suffered another major blow. Gerain van Loon made a hard tackle in midfield and was immediately sent off by the referee.
With ten against eleven, Real Madrid took the initiative. The Spaniards had a few big chances, but ultimately they needed another penalty to score.
Elgyn Hato, just fifteen years old and who had played a very strong tournament up to that point, unfortunately brought down his opponent just before the final whistle. The penalty was not missed, meaning Ajax were unable to retain last year’s title.
In the final this afternoon, Real Madrid will face either Future United or RSC Anderlecht.