Sebastian Haller scores at both ends as Ajax earn a draw at Benfica

Sebastian Haller was again amid the goals as Ajax forced a 2-2 draw away at Benfica on Wednesday in the chief leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Fans can buy Champions League Final Tickets from our website.

Not only did the lanky Haller notch take his tally in this season’s race to 11 goals in seven games, but he also underwrote an own goal in a vivacious clank at the Estádio da Luz.

The Dutch club was ahead after 18 minutes through their leader, Dusan Tadic, but an unsuccessful own goal from Haller saw the scores level seven minutes later. Ajax, however, did not take long to restore their lead as Haller made amends with a close-in texture in the 29th minute.

A second-half header from auxiliary Roman Yaremchuk ensured a draw for the swarms and a boost to their optimism in the second leg next month Champions League Final 2022.

The action swayed from one end of the pitch to the other in a high-tempo match with Ajax earning from their pressing game and Benfica always looking risky on the revenge.

It was a squash on fullback Gilberto, after a meager kick out from his goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos, that saw Ajax generate the first goal as Noussair Mazraoui stole away ownership and beat in a cross that Tadic calmly side-footed family on the half volley.

The former Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen was at the heart of Benfica’s 25th-minute opener. He had two efforts congested but persisted in racing the ball in the penalty area, then whipped in a square ball that struck Haller and glanced into the Ajax net.

There was a trace of irony three minutes later as a ricochet off Vertonghen was stopped by Vlachodimos but Haller was well-placed to sudden up the rebound and restore Ajax’s lead.

They should have gone into the pause with a bigger lead but Edson Álvarez hit the nethermost of the upright with an oblique shot on the knock of half-time in Champions League Final.

Benfica had numerous second-half breaks as Rafa Silva’s seriatim offered them a way back into the tie. His 60th-minute pass to Darwin Nunez was missed by centimeters but Silva’s imagination set up the 72nd-minute equalizer.

He found Gonçalo Ramos on the edge of the part, whose shot on goal was dodged up into the air by the Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer and Yaremchuk ran through to influence home the looping ball with his cranium. Ajax swarm the arrival match at the Amsterdam Arena on 15 March.

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