Marcus Thuram rules the roost in Amsterdam but ex Fulham star Heitinga's Ajax impress in defeat to Inter

By Alessandro Schiavone in Amsterdam

Ajax Amsterdam 0-2 Inter Milan

Goals: Marcus Thuram 2x (42', 47')

Ajax’s wait for a first win over Inter Milan since the glorious 1972 Champions League final continues as last season’s finalists ran out 2-0 winners in Amsterdam on Wednesday night.

Johnny Heitinga’s side paid the price for three minutes of blackout either side of half-time with Marcus Thuram scoring a pair of headers (like Hernan Crespo in 2002 on these shores) to pull under-fire manager Christian Chivu out of the mire after back-to-back Serie A defeats to Udinese and Juventus.

Ex-Fulham star Heitinga, whose playing career at the club took off following Chivu departure for AS Roma in 2003, prepared the game well tactically and psychologically. And in the end he was only undone by two set-pieces.

Ajax were up for it and looked Inter in the eye, setting the ball rolling in the Italians' half. Well organized, disciplined but especially dynamic and courageous, they took the game to them in the first 35 minutes.

All they lacked was luck and a conviction that they could score. Anton Gaaei fired over on 13 minutes while Godts, through on goal, missed a one-on-one with Yann Sommer after the half-hour mark. It was a sliding-door moment that the Dutch side will look back on with regret today and in the coming days.

Who knows what may have happened had the Belgian put the ball into the back of the net?

We will never find out but what we know is that it served as a wake-up call for the Nerazzurri.

Without talisman and captain Lautaro Martinez, who was an unused substitute throughout the encounter due to persistent back problems, Thuram stepped up to the plate once again in the Netherlands.

Teed up by Esposito on the turn, he took a touch to the right to hold off Baas' challenge before smashing his effort wide.

The Frenchman also had a penalty decision overturned after a lengthy VAR check which showed that before Baas brought him down in the box, he had done it first by illegal means.

But the son of Lilian used those moments of adversity to rise to the occasion and head home a quick-fire brace.

The returning Kasper Dolberg’s introduction for Wout Weghorst midway through the second period gave the Amsterdammers new impetus and hope.

And the Dane, who left Ajax for OGC Nice in 2019, came close to goal number 46.

First he tried to catch out Sommer and minutes later, disturbed by a couple of Inter players, he headed over at the far-post.

A different outcome on either of these two occasions would have set up a grandstand finish but Ajax can take a lot of heart from their spirited performance and the character they showed after falling behind.

They will certainly feel hard done by the result while Chivu’s sweet memories of the city and stadium remain intact.

If Ajax play like this in “De Topper” against PSV Eindhoven on Sunday they stand a great chance of coming away with the three points.

And Heitinga’s men certainly possess what it takes to get the 13-14 points they need to qualify at least for the play-offs with games against Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Benfica, Qarabag, Villarreal and Olympiacos next. They are good enough to extend their stay in the Ol’ Big Ears competition beyond February. Nobody would certainly bet against this new-look and hungry side, carved in the ex-Holland star’s image.

Yesterday was a free hit against one of Europe’s top dogs.

And Ajax came very close to pulling off a shock.

And for the games ahead they can bank on Dolberg who is eyeing four goals to surpass Ibrahimovic’s tally of 48 with de Ajacieds.

Ibra, a former teammate of Chivu and Heitinga...

Ajax Amsterdam

1 Jaros 3 Gaaei 4 Italira 15 Baas 5 Wijndal 6 Regeer 18 Klaassen 8 Taylor 17 Edvardsen 25 Weghorst 11 Godts

Inter Milan

1 Sommer- 95 Bastoni-6 De Vrij- 25 Akanji- 32 Di Marco-20 Calhanoglu22 Mkhitaryan- 2 Dumfries-94 Esposito-9 Thuram