Ajax Amsterdam hold AC Milan to Champions League draw
AC Milan collected one point away to Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League on Tuesday after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's equaliser earned the Italians a 1–1 draw.
Massimiliano Allegri's team showed the extent of their dependence on Ibrahimovic in attack, and the Swede's apparent groin problem could spell trouble for Milan in the coming weeks.
"It was a difficult game and it wasn't one of our better performances," Milan footballer Clarence Seedorf told UEFA.com after the game. "I had a few good moments and after 20 minutes we started getting
more into the game. We expected Ajax to start as strongly as they did, but we kept our heads."
First half provided the action
Ibrahimovic met laid off the ball to Seedorf in the 15th minute, and the Dutchman, who was also returning to his former club, sent Robinho flying down the left side of the area. The striker waited, opted
not to play in Ibrahimovic and finished with a low drive that Maarten Stekelenburg was able to stop.
The Amsterdam Arena then exploded after a fine attacking move by the Dutch team. As Milan sat back in midfield and invited Ajax's passing and movement, Urby Emanuelson played Luis Suarez in on the left
side of the area.
Suarez nochalantly hit the ball through Alessandro Nesta's legs, advanced towards the byline and cut the ball back for Mounir El Hamdaoui, whose turn and shot beat Christian Abbiati and two Milan defenders
on the goal line.
Ibrahimovic combined well with Seedorf again on the half hour, and the veteran once again played Robinho through on goal. The striker had plenty of time to get his aim right, but after forcing Stekelenburg
to commit to the right, he could only hit a disappointing effort wide of the left post.
Milan equalised with 37 minutes played. Andrea Pirlo played a ball towards Seedorf on the right flank, whose squared ball was chested down by Ibrahimovic as he burst into the box and hit an acrobatic half-volley
into the right corner from six yards.
Tranquil game after the break
With the second half more subdued, Ajax seemed happy to salvage a point while Milan showed a lacking creativity in attack. When the inspiration did strike, it was the Swedish addition to Allegri's squad
who was the instigator.
In the 84th minute, Ibrahimovic charged into the box on the left side. Having weighed his options, the striker sent a low cross towards Kevin-Prince Boateng on the other side of the area.
Boateng did well to get the shot on target from a narrow angle, but Stekelenburg's save kept Ajax in the game as the Martin Jol's team went on to hold the Italians.
Milan are now second in Group G on four points, trailing Real Madrid by two, while Ajax collected their first point in this year's competition to climb above AJ Auxerre in the standings.
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