Struggling Ajax Slip from Top Four After Lacklustre Defeat to FC Twente

The clash between Ajax and FC Twente proved vital in the contest for second place, as Ajax trailed Feyenoord by five points and Twente by six. Interim Ajax boss Óscar García handed Wout Weghorst, seeking his first strike since October 2025, another opportunity up front, while Oliver Edvardsen earned a surprising nod on the right flank.

FC Twente dominated Ajax early on and soon capitalised when Mats Rots surged unchallenged from his own penalty area into Ajaxs and carved open the backline. The left back located Ramiz Zerrouki, who blasted the shot beyond Maarten Paes into the net off the upright.

Ajax appeared far from assured in the initial 30 minutes, managing only a single opportunity for Weghorst, who failed to beat Lars Unnerstall from near distance.

Weghorst made amends shortly afterwards Youri Baas initiated Ajaxs inaugural smooth sequence of play that evening, delivering to the forward through Steven Berghuis and Mika Godts, allowing Weghorst a tidy conversion at the post in the 32nd minute.

FC Twente almost reclaimed the advantage post interval as Josip Šutalo carelessly surrendered possession near Ajaxs area, presenting three Twente forwards the opening to capitalise on the Croatian. Yet both efforts from the away side were thwarted, with Lucas Rosa denying Sam Lammers a goal and Youri Baas deflecting Lammers follow up off the goal line.

As seen often during the fixture, Ajax failed to press FC Twente effectively and lacked the vigour to threaten Unnerstalls target. The team from Enschede seized the moment to reassert dominance, edging nearer a go ahead via Sondre Orjasaeter and Lammers.

Following one Twente defender shining in the initial score, his counterpart repeated the feat to hand Twente their second advantage of the game Bart van Rooij broke clear of the Ajax rearguard and enjoyed plenty of room ahead. A clever pull back created the angle for Van Rooij to strike with his left boot, the effort looping beyond Paes into the distant corner with 10 minutes remaining.

The home teams performance was summed up by their stoppage time exertions, as a dismal Ajax outfit battled merely to advance the ball into FC Twentes territory.

FC Twente secured a straightforward victory in Amsterdam and overtook Ajax in the standings, claiming fourth with 50 points. Ajax, now at 48 points, face a gap of at least five to second placed Feyenoord post this round and confront a daunting task to qualify for next seasons UEFA Champions League.