LONDON: Last year’s Champions League semi-finalists Ajax Amsterdam face a fight to qualify for this season’s group stage after clinging on for a tense 0-0 draw in searing heat away to Cypriot team APOEL Nicosia in the first leg of their playoff tie on Tuesday.

Czech club Slavia Prague won 1-0 at Romania’s CFR Cluj thanks to a spectacular Lukas Masopust goal in another of the ties which will earn the winners a lucrative place in the Champions League group stage while Belgium’s Club Brugge also won by a single goal at Austria’s LASK Linz.

Ajax, four-time winners of the competition, have managed to keep the bulk of last season’s team together, with Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong the only major departures, and fielded seven of the players who started the second leg of their dramatic semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur in May.

Despite a bright start, they were indebted to goalkeeper Andre Onana and played the last 10 minutes with 10 men after Noussair Mazraoui was sent off.

Musa Suleiman caused Ajax all sorts of problems and went agonisingly close to giving Cypriot side APOEL a first-half lead after he cut in from the right, played a one-two and spun into the box but sent his shot wide of the far post.

Shortly afterwards, Nicholas Ioannou saw an effort deflected for a corner.

APOEL increased the pressure after the break as Onana parried a powerful Lucas Souza shot before another effort was cleared off the line and an Andrija Pavlovic header bounced off the crossbar.

Jordanian Suleiman volleyed into the side-netting from close range and Onana then made a brilliant one-handed save to deny Souza again.

Right-back Mazraoui was given a second yellow card for a reckless sliding tackle on Uros Matic.

Veteran striker Klass Jan Huntelaar, who came on with 12 minutes left, had a clear opportunity to win the game in added time, but the 36-year-old’s tame chip was cleared.

“We gave the ball away too easily and we must improve next week,” Ajax forward and captain Dusan Tadic said. “I expect the same compact defensive zone from APOEL in the second game. But we need to play much better in the second leg.”

Ajax have to play qualifying because of the relatively low UEFA ranking of the Dutch league, which they won last season. Ajax scraped through the previous round of qualifying, beating Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki 5-4 on aggregate.

While Ajax were disappointed with an away draw, Nicholas Ioannou, APOEL captain, was happy with his team’s chances.

“We played really well,” he said. “We defended very well and had some good chances at the other end to score. We were quite unlucky not to. We still believe we can go through.”

AWAY WINS FOR BRUGGE AND SLAVIA

There was only goal from open play in the night’s three matches, but it was a pretty strike to give Slavia victory in Cluj.

Nicolae Stanciu played a 28th-minute corner to Lukas Masopust, lurking outside the penalty area. The midfielder flighted the ball into the far corner of the net with the gentlest of long-range volleys.

“We practiced those corner kicks two days ago and I couldn’t hit the ball well,” said Masopust adding that team captain Tomas Soucek “told me today to try it with the side-foot and it worked.”

Cluj coach Dan Petrescu was less impressed. “Was it a pass or a shot?” he asked. “It was like table tennis.”

Romanian champions Cluj saw Mario Rondon hit the woodwork and won a penalty in the 79th minute, but Ondrej Kolar saved French striker Billel Omrani left-foot spot kick. It’s been six years since a Romanian club last reached the group stage.

“I knew that the penalty-taking player always waits until the very last moment before kicking the ball, so I waited, did not lose my nerve and saved it,” said Kolar. “It was my first saved penalty for Slavia.”

An early penalty from Hans Vanaken gave Brugge their win away to Linz who are bidding to qualify for the group stage for the first time.

Lois Openda went down under a challenge from Linz captain Gernot Trauner and the referee pointed to the spot, finally confirming his decision two minutes later after a lengthy VAR review.

Brugge survived a let-off when Simon Deli nearly turned the ball into his own net although the Belgians could easily have added to their tally in the second half.

Brugge could play in the group stage for the third time in four seasons if they hold on in the second leg.

All second-leg games are next week.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2019