Dutch-Ghanaian striker Brian Brobbey
Dutch Ghanaian striker Brian Brobbey put Ajax ahead early, but the Dutch giants succumbed to a 2-1 home defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie.
Brobbey struck in the 10th minute, capitalizing on Jordan Henderson’s pinpoint cross to head home from close range. The Johan Cruijff ArenA erupted as Ajax seized the advantage. However, the lead was short-lived.
Frankfurt responded in the 27th minute through Hugo Larsson. Mario Götze’s clever low free kick found Larsson on the edge of the box, and his deflected shot wrongfooted goalkeeper Jay Gorter to level the score.
The decisive moment came in the 70th minute when Ansgar Knauff powered down the right flank, shrugging off a challenge before setting up Ellyes Skhiri, who fired past Gorter to seal Frankfurt’s comeback win.
Brobbey, who lasted 64 minutes, now has two goals and three assists in the competition. Ajax must regroup ahead of their Eredivisie clash with Zwolle on March 9th before seeking redemption in the second leg.