JAKARTA - Prolific striker Sebastien Haller was again one of the goalscorers as Ajax Amsterdam forced host Benfica to a 2-2 draw in the first match of the Champions League last 16 on Thursday morning.
As reported by Antara, Haller not only scored to take his tally in this competition for the season to 11 goals in seven games, but also contributed an own goal in a fierce match at the Estadio da Luz.
The Dutch club took the lead in the 18th minute through captain Dusan Tadic but Haller's own goal made it level seven minutes later.
All to play for in Amsterdam.#UCL #benaja
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 23, 2022
However it didn't take long for Ajax to restore their lead when Haller made amends with a late finish in the 29th minute.
A second-half header from substitute Roman Yaremchuk sealed a draw for the hosts and boosted their hopes for next month's second leg.
A very interesting high-tempo match occurred when Ajax played a pressing game, on the other hand Benfica always looked dangerous on the counter-attack.
It was the pressure on defender Gilberto after a poor strike from goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos, which gave Ajax the first goal as Noussair Mazraoui stole possession to then volley in a headed cross for Tadic which he volleyed into the net.
Former Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen was at the heart of Benfica's opener in the 25th minute. He made two goal attempts which were blocked in front of the Ajax goal.
Three minutes later Vertonghen's deflected ball was stopped by Vlachodimos but Haller was well positioned to meet the rebound to then restore Ajax's lead.
Ajax should have gone into the break with a bigger lead but Edson Alvarez hit the bottom of the post with an angled shot just before half-time.
Benfica launched a number of counter-attacks in the second half, among them Rafa Silva almost equalizing.
Then his 60th-minute pass towards Darwin Nunez missed a few centimeters but Silva's creativity saw them finally equalize in the 72nd minute.
Silva found Goncalo Ramos in a free position on the edge of the box but his shot on goal was parried by Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer. Luckily Yaremchuk ran dribbled with his head for him to enter the Ajax goal.
Ajax will host the second Champions League last-16 match between the two teams at the Amsterdam Arena on March 15.
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