From red-hot Tadic to red-card Hungary: Five things we learnt from tonight’s Champions League play-off games

The 2018-19 Champions League qualification process continued tonight with the rest of the play-off round first-leg fixtures.  

Tonight’s first-leg ties saw Ajax host Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev with the Dutch side going ahead after just 76 seconds with a goal from Donny van de Beek giving Erik ten Hag’s side the perfect start. However, after 15 minutes, Kiev equalised following a corner kick, eventually tapped in by right-back Tomasz Kędziora following a good save from Ajax goalkeeper André Onana.

A deflected strike from Hakim Ziyech restored Ajax’s lead in the 35th minute, with the Morocco international twisting onto his left foot just outside the box to curl the ball into the back of the net, with a little help from former Newcastle United defender Tamás Kádár. The 43rd minute saw former Southampton star Dusan Tadic score from six yards out after a fantastic cross from Nicolás Tagliafico.

Into the second half, both sides looked to get the next goal, with Kiev feeling a second goal would rightly make it more achievable to turn the game around back in Ukraine. However, it wasn’t meant to be and Ajax ran out 3-1 victors in the first leg of the Champions League play-off match.

Elsewhere, Hungarian side MOL Vidi lost on home soil 2-1 to Greek outfit AEK Athens after playing the majority of the match with just ten men, with the visitors also going down to ten men later in the second half.

In Switzerland, Young Boys played out an entertaining fixture with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb, with the match finishing 1-1, leaving the second leg anyone’s guess to predict who will progress to the group stages.

All in all, it is still all to play for in each of these three fixtures in the opposing second legs.

Here are five things we learnt from tonight’s Champions League play-off matches.

Young of body, experienced of mind

As expected, this young Ajax side – to be honest, they have been considered a young side across the last decade – managed to have the majority of possession in this match on home soil.

After getting off to the perfect start, the movement from the Dutch side was evident to see. With both Tadic and Ziyech scoring, Ajax will feel confident heading into the second leg that they have the ammunition to take down Kiev once again.

Despite the positives, Ajax showed their frailties from set-pieces, with Kiev’s goal coming from a floated corner which, despite the best efforts from Onana, was tucked in to bring the Ukraine side level.

In fact, it was a matter of their defence showing some – but few – leaks, but with their attack repeatedly raining down on their organised and experienced opposition in Dynamo Kiev.

You feel if Ajax are able to progress into the group stages of the Champions League, they could just be a surprise package in the competition this season.

Hostile atmosphere in Hungary

Champions League football for the first time in Hungary. That is what is at stake for Mol Vidi and their match against AEK Athens in front of their electric home support at the Groupama Arena was certainly entertaining.

Perhaps it got to their heads a little as midfielder Szabolcs Huszti was given a straight red card after just 22 minutes leaving the Hungarian outfit a man short for over an hour of the evening’s fixture.

10 minutes before half-time, AEK finally broke through the MOL Vidi defence with a goal from attacking midfielder Viktor Klonaridis.

It didn’t take long into the second half for AEK to double their lead, thanks to a strike from Anastasios Bakasetas, his first in the Champions League this season. However, just four minutes later the AEK goalscorer was sent off, giving MOL Vidi a sniff of a chance of getting back into this first-leg.

A chance, of which, they took in the 67th minute after a strike from centre-forward Danko Lazović, who has 47 caps for Serbia, scoring 11 goals for his country.

However, they couldn’t draw level and will have to win away in Greece to turn their dream of Champions League group stage football, into a reality.

Frenkie de Jong & Matthijs de Ligt continue to impress

De Jong is certainly proving his praises right. The 21-year old midfielder epitomised Ajax’s evening, with his calmness and direct approach vital in Ajax’s play this evening.

De Jong has attracted interested from a variety of admirers including Spanish giants Barcelona and it’s clear to see why. At such a young age, the Dutchman shows real class and a mature mind to hold his position, look for a pass, and to try and engineer a chance for his side in their famous red and white strip.

This evening, his movement constantly threatened Kiev and allowed his teammates to fill the space he left and take advantage of his obvious skills to the benefit of the team.

As for De Ligt – another Ajax prospect who is being publically head-hunted by some of Europe’s biggest – the 19-year old played alongside former Manchester United utility man Daley Blind, with the Ajax boss Erik ten Hag clearly trying to blend youth with experience in their pursuit of domestic and European success.

He made a fantastic block on the goal line from a Kiev shot, denying the away side a vital second goal at a critical point of the second half.

Despite a few nervy moments across the backline for Ajax – only natural in a match of this importance for both sides -, all-in-all De Ligt showed that he deserves to be playing – at the very least – at this level for the Dutch side. If his performances continue, European attention will not be going anywhere.

Too tough to call in Switzerland

A tough match to call from the outside between Young Boys and their visitors Dinamo Zagreb, with both sides offering contrasting styles and with both yielding experiences of European nights.

Young Boys got off to the perfect start, when they scored in just the second-minute courtesy of a Kevin Mbabu finish, with the 23-year old defender perhaps more known for his time at Newcastle United, another ex-Geordie on European duty this evening.

However, with 39 minutes on the clock, the number 99 Mislav Oršić scored for the Croatian side to draw them level in a closely contested match.

Into the second half, Young Boys had the majority of the game’s possession (59%), shots (22) and passes (434) but couldn’t find a way past Zagreb, meaning they will need to secure victory a little east of Switzerland in the second leg.

Dusan Tadic proving to be a saintly buy

The victory for Ajax this evening was mainly sealed by the attacking talents of Tadic.

The talented playmaker was a nuisance all evening as Ajax ran away winners. A big part of his play is his ability to find space in and around the box to help himself – and his teammates to goals – which he did so once again this evening.

It took just over a minute for Tadic to pick out Van de Beek – with the Serbian international showing a calmness to wait for the right pass in the box, which was rewarded in rapid style.

His goal came from a great cross from Tagliafico but it was Tadic’s movement to escape his marker that drew the most praise. His light touch to guide the ball past the Kiev ‘keeper was expertly taken and put the Dutch side into a two-goal advantage.

Despite it being early in the season, Tadic is showing that it was perhaps premature for Southampton boss Mark Hughes to deem the player unworthy of a place in his squad this season.

Tadic now has 4 goals from 8 games since his transfer to Ajax in the summer.

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