Ajax comfortably saw off Heracles Almelo on Saturday evening. The Amsterdam side won 3-0 at the Asito Stadium thanks to goals from Mika Godts and a brace from Steven Berghuis, and held on easily despite Takehiro Tomiyasu being sent off in the closing stages.
Ko Itakura and Oscar Gloukh came in for Sean Steur and Oliver Edvardsen, while Wout Weghorst again led the attack; the recovered Tomiyasu began on the bench. Kasper Dolberg remained on the bench throughout, while Heracles’ line-up included former Ajax players Remko Pasveer and Naci Ünüvar.
Ajax started brightly, with early chances for Jorthy Mokio and Wout Weghorst. After an initial warning from Steven Berghuis’s free-kick, well saved by Remko Pasveer, the breakthrough arrived in the sixteenth minute. Mika Godts seized on a hesitant moment from Pasveer and delicately chipped the ball over the advancing goalkeeper: 0-1.
Less than a minute later, the visitors doubled their advantage: Wout Weghorst laid off a header for Steven Berghuis to finish calmly after a quick one-two. That early brace effectively settled the contest, as Heracles looked uninspired.
Moments after the restart, a slick move saw Berghuis finish calmly after more hesitation from Pasveer, making it 0-3 and effectively sealing the result against the bottom side.
Ajax kept pressing, with Weghorst and Godts both hitting the woodwork, while Heracles, already looking defeated, offered little response. Coach Ernest Faber’s side appeared powerless and short on confidence.
In the closing stages, Ajax suffered another setback when substitute Tomiyasu was sent off following a VAR review for bringing down Lequincio Zeefuik, who had broken through on goal. Nevertheless, the ten-man side saw out the match with relative ease, securing vital points in the race for European football.