DARWIN NUNEZ headed Benfica’s late winner to send them to their first Champions League quarter-final in six years.
Hosts Ajax dominated but were made to pay for their sloppiness in front of goal when Newcastle target Nunez nipped in front of hapless keeper Andre Onana on 77 minutes.
Nunez headed Benfica ahead against the run of play Credit: Getty
The Benfica striker’s goal turned out to be the winner Credit: Getty Alex Grimaldo whipped in a free-kick after a soft foul by Edson Alvarez on Goncalo Ramos, and Nunez leaped like a salmon to nod into the empty net as Onana mis-timed his leap and flapped at thin air.
Ajax had scored 22 Champions League goals before kick-off and the defeat was the first time they failed to score two or more in a game in this season’s competition.
Sebastien Haller thought he’d kept up his record of scoring in every match of the tournament this term when he poked home on seven minutes.
The ex-West Ham striker turned Tadic’s low cross into the back of the net early on, only for the offside flag to be raised on the latter.
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Cheltenham Festival – free bets: Claim £60 welcome bonus with William Hill Haller becomes the first player in Champions League history to score 11 or more goals without playing in at least the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Alvarez also had two big chances in the first-half but twice missed the target from inside the box.
Haller appealed for a penalty when pushed by ex-Man City centre-back Nicolas Otamendi but it was waved away.
And Steven Berghuis had the ball put on a plate for him moments before the break but he fluffed his lines from 12 yards out to keep the scores level.
The hosts finished the first half having had 67 percent of possession and nine efforts on goal but with nothing to show for their domination.
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Ajax burst out the blocks after the break too but still could not find the opener.
Former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen created Benfica’s first chance when he headed back across goal but there was no one there to tap in.
Ryan Gravenberch dived to try and win a penalty and the ref correctly ignored it once again.
But Nunez popped up at the end to break the home fans’ hearts after Benfica had played for set-pieces throughout.
And in doing so Manchester United target Erik ten Hag joined the Red Devils in crashing out of the Champions League.
Defensive stalwarts Otamendi and Vertonghen were excellent for Benfica throughout and their professional game management helped keep the prolific Haller at bay.
Ajax failed to carve out any clear cut opportunities after going a goal down, with Ten Hag’s side dumped out of the Champions League at the last-sixteen stage.
Ten Hag has been linked with the Manchester United job, but saw his Ajax side crash out of the Champions League last-sixteen Credit: EPA .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1546w7m{background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);margin:16px 0;}
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‘Drunk’ RHOC star Dawn Ward ‘slapped Jewish man and called him “fat p***k”‘ 1-0 was how it finished, and Ajax’s first loss of the competition in the 21/22 season saw them crash out at the last-sixteen stage.
The defeat means Ajax haven’t won any of their last nine home games in the Champions League knockouts, after winning six out of six home and away in the group stages.
Six of the quarter-finalists have already been decided, with the final two teams in Friday’s last-eight draw to be decided on Wednesday evening.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
