Ajax game suspended twice and players taken off as chaos breaks out with just minutes left
Ajax’s disastrous start to the season went from bad to worse against Utrecht in bizarre late scenes.
An Ajax match was suspended for the third and fourth time in the space of a month in the late stages of their Dutch Eredivisie clash against Utrecht on Sunday afternoon. The Amsterdam giants’ disastrous season went from bad to worse at the Stadion Galgenwaard as pressure on manager Maurice Steijn nears breaking point.
Ajax’s winless run extended to eight games as they lost a seven-goal thriller 4-3 despite coming back from two goals down to lead 3-2 in the second half.
Steijn has guided Ajax to just two wins in 12 games all campaign, but Sunday’s dismal defeat against Utrecht, who had just one league win beforehand, was a new low.
It leaves Ajax 17th in the Eredivisie, one place and a point off of rock bottom after seven outings, with tensions now at an all-time high.
The club’s supporters continued to make their discontent known, forcing the referee to suspend the game at 3-3 in the 89th minute by throwing a plastic cup onto the pitch.
Play resumed shortly after, with the fourth official signalling eight minutes of stoppage time. Oscar Fraulo fired the hosts ahead with the eventual winner in the first of them.
Staring in the face of a sixth defeat this term sparked another angry reaction from the away end. Referee Dennis Higler then suspended the match for a second time.
