Ajax are out of the Europa League after they could only draw 1-1 against AS Roma in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final. Michael Bell provides his player ratings for the Ajax stars.
- Follow Michael on Twitter
Maarten Stekelenburg 6/10: Only had a few catches to make throughout the game and could do nothing about the Dzeko goal.
Sean Klaiber 5/10: Had to leave the pitch after only 20 minutes after suffering a hamstring injury
Nicolas Tagliafico 6/10: Barely troubled defensively during the game and he played mostly in the Roma half. However, he played a negative role in the game with his late foul the reason that Dusan Tadic’s goal in the second-half was disallowed.
Jurrien Timber 7/10: Whether at right-back or centre-back, Timber was solid throughout and showed clever positioning. His slip for the Dzeko goal was just unlucky.
Lisandro Martinez 7/10: Again by far the one with the most touches of the ball for Ajax and you could see why as he is so calm in possession. He was solid defensively and kept the ball in tight spaces when Roma applied pressure on him. A player in good form.
Ryan Gravenberch 5.5/10: Got more involved in the game than he did in the first-leg but he still did not do enough in possession of the ball. Going forward with the ball, Gravenberch has the talent to be more decisive. Played it safe too often.
Davy Klaassen 5.5/10: Should have scored in the first half but his effort was too weak. He then struggled to get into the game and was barely involved.
Edson Alvarez 5.5/10: Did what he needed to do by providing some cover for the defence but he could not help Ajax going forward. With Ajax completely dominant in possession at times, Alvarez was too cautious with his passing.
Antony 5/10: Provided one chance for Davy Klaassen in the first-half but that was his only contribution before he was substituted at half-time. Another poor game from the Brazilian in a European game.
David Neres 4.5/10: Was rather surprising that Neres also wasn’t substituted at the break, having done even less than his fellow countryman. He did almost nothing in his 82 minutes on the pitch.
Dusan Tadic 5.5/10: Scored in the second half but a foul in the build-up saw the goal ruled out. However, the Ajax captain was once again not at his best and he struggled to trouble the Roma defence.
Substitutes
Brian Brobbey 7/10: Made an instant impact by scoring four minutes into the second half to give Ajax some hope. He makes a big impact off the bench for Ajax and his energy was a big threat. Got into some good positions but wasn’t found by his teammates.
Mohammed Kudus 5/10: Came on for Alvarez but could not make any impact on the game whatsoever.
Oussama Idrissi N/A: Not on the pitch for long enough for a review
Lassina Traore N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
I never understood why Ajax played without a striker when it was facing a very well organized and physical defense which in my view was the reason they lost the series.