Ajax beat Shelbourne FC 3-1 on Thursday night in the third qualifying round of the Conference League. Afterwards, Irish side coach John Russell singled out two players for special praise.
At the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Ajax controlled the game and led 3-0 after 50 minutes. It could even have been 4-0, but goalkeeper Eddie Beach saved a penalty from Mika Godts. Daniel Kelly then pulled one back late on to make it 3-1.
Russell told Off The Ball that goal mattered. “We knew what our task was: to do a lot of defending against an excellent opponent. But we also knew we would get one or two chances, and one went in through Kelly.”
Shelbourne therefore still have something to hold on to heading into the return leg. After 20 minutes, with Ajax already 2-0 up, the picture had looked far worse.
He was especially struck by Ajax's left winger. “Ajax showed their qualities. One of their players, the left winger, was unbelievable. It is being said he may be going to PSG, so hopefully this was his last match”, he said with a wink, referring to Godts.
Beach also earned strong praise from his own manager. “Eddie Beach was world-class today. Truly world-class. A few saves he made and the penalty he saved give us new life and energy. Everything is still possible in this tie.”
Next Thursday brings the return leg. Both teams kick off at 20:45 in Dublin. The winner of the tie will qualify for the Conference League play-offs.