Ajax have defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final first leg through Donny van de Beek’s strike 15 minutes in.
The Dutch side were well on top when opening the scoring and came closest to scoring the second goal of the night through David Neres’s shot in the second half, which came back off the post.
Tottenham did have spells on top after switching from a three-man defence to four at the back, but they managed just one shot on target across the 90 minutes and now have it all to do in next week’s return fixture in Amsterdam.
Hakim Ziyech slipped the ball through for Donny van de Beek, who controlled the pass and converted past Hugo Lloris after taking some time to compose himself.
Pochettino changed shape following his side’s slow start and that paid off as Fernando Llorente and Toby Alderweireld headed over the crossbar, either side of the home side losing Jan Vertonghen to a nasty facial injury.
Spurs had not led at half time in any of their previous 10 Champions League matches this season, either, and they showed a lot more attacking impetus in the second half.
Dele Alli had a volley kept out five minutes after the restart and the same player headed over from a good position soon after.
Unlike their opponents in the first half, however, Tottenham could not make their spell on top count as numerous attacks broke down in and around the box.
It was Ajax who came closest to scoring the second goal of the match as David Neres fired the ball across Lloris and against the foot of the post following a positive attacking move.
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