Tolu Arokodare headed in after nine minutes at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday night. Ajax beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the Eredivisie. The result ended an 11-match winless run against AZ and put Ajax back in second place, one point behind Feyenoord.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Match | Ajax 1-0 AZ Alkmaar, Eredivisie matchday 11 |
| Date and venue | Saturday 31 October 2026, Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam |
| Goal | Arokodare, 9th minute, header from Abdellah Ouazane's cross |
| Playing time | 73 minutes, replaced by Steven Berghuis |
| Table | Ajax second, one point behind Feyenoord |
| Next for Nigeria | Tanzania, 11 and 15 November |
How the goal came
It was quick.
Jorthy Mokio made the run, Ouazane swung the ball in from the left, and Arokodare got on the end of it. NOS called it a header.
Then Ajax had to hold on.
AZ controlled much of the game once the first 20 minutes had passed and finished with 19 shots to Ajax's nine, so Marc-André ter Stegen was busy, making five saves and denying Mexx Meerdink with the last chance of the night in stoppage time.
Ajax coach Míchel Sánchez did not hide from that. “It was a difficult match against a strong team,” he said, in comments NOS reported in Dutch. He also said his players lacked intensity in defensive transitions, though he praised the compact defending that protected the lead and kept the clean sheet in a game that stayed tight until the end.
One scare. Julian Brandt pulled up with a suspected hamstring problem in the 38th minute and was replaced by Oscar Gloukh. Míchel said the injury “doesn't look like it is a serious injury.”
A result Ajax had waited years for
Ajax had not beaten AZ in their previous 11 meetings, with seven defeats and four draws. Their last win in the fixture came in March 2022.
Feyenoord slipped first. They had earlier dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Fortuna Sittard. That lifted Ajax back above AZ, who led the table after seven rounds and have now slipped to fifth.
Arokodare is in Amsterdam on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, a move completed at the end of July. We covered his goal and assist against Atalanta in the Ajax win over Atalanta a little over a week ago, and this was another match in which he decided the outcome.
What it means for the Super Eagles
Eric Chelle has not yet published his squad for the two Tanzania fixtures on 11 and 15 November. Nobody knows yet. Arokodare may or may not be in it.
The centre-forward conversation is crowded. Very crowded. Victor Osimhen is the first name, Akor Adams, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ilenikhena are all options too, and Arokodare was used only from the bench in the September qualifiers, playing 22 and 21 minutes against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
A winner against a side that had Ajax's number since March 2022 is the kind of line that lands on a coach's desk. It is also the second time in ten days that he has been central to an Ajax result.
The caveat is minutes.
He went off after 73 and the hosts rode some resistance after that early goal.
You can follow how the other Nigerians in Europe are doing in our Nigerians abroad stats tracker.
This article was most recently revised and updated 7 seconds ago
