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Ajax head coach Míchel Sánchez began the Eredivisie season with a hard-fought win over PEC Zwolle. Goals from substitutes Jorthy Mokio and Julian Brandt sealed a 0-2 victory, but another player off the bench drew most of the praise.
"This was not our best performance today," Míchel said with typical honesty after the hard-earned win in Zwolle. "Perhaps the situation surrounding Mika Godts distracted us a little," the Spaniard added as he looked for an explanation for the display.
"We did not play convincingly. It was not a pretty match, but we created enough chances to win. The red card helped us, because PEC Zwolle could no longer press high."
Only late on did the Amsterdam side seize control. "I think the substitutions made the difference today, especially Tolu, who delivered an extraordinary performance."
That left Míchel full of praise for the striker who arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers. "I am very happy for him, because he needs to build up rhythm, but his first minutes were very, very good. He made the decisive action for the first goal, so he made the difference - together with the other substitutes."
Marc ter Stegen, handed his first start, also caught the eye with a superb save from Tobias Sommer's header. "Yes, I'm happy he was in there, because he had to help us a lot. He made a great save," said Míchel.
This week, Ajax officially announced ter Stegen after a long transfer saga. The German has joined on a season-long loan from Barcelona. "He enabled us to keep a clean sheet, especially with that action," Míchel said as he spoke warmly about his first appearance.