Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has heaped praise on Ajax, following their 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash on Tuesday.
The Dutch club have one foot in the final ahead of the second leg at home.
The visitors, who knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus to reach the semis, outplayed Premier League side Tottenham and earned victory through Donny van de Beek’s first-half goal.
It could have been worse for Spurs but fortunately David Neres’ second-half shot struck the post with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris beaten.
Assessing the match for beIN Sports, Wenger said: “I would say that, even under pressure, Ajax had that relentless desire to play when they could.
“They have not yet the maturity of a Barcelona to keep the ball even when they are under pressure, but the desire is always there.
“And the desire created them a fantastic chances that Neres missed.
“I personally give a personal congratulation to their goalkeeper [Andre Onana]. They suffered with crosses and when he understood they were in trouble he came out and cleared the ball.
“I believe [Daley] Blind was outstanding as well.”
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