Juventus v Ajax: Matthijs de Ligt revels in Champions League run
Last updated on .From the section European Football

Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt says the underdogs' run to the Champions League semi-finals has left him speechless.
The Dutch side have beaten Real Madrid and Juventus in the knockout stages to make the last four, where they will face Tottenham or Manchester City.
"It's bizarre. It's not normal. I have no words for it," the 19-year-old Netherlands defender told BT Sport.
"We have shown once again that we are very strong and that we can make it difficult for large teams."
De Ligt scored the decisive goal in Tuesday's semi-final second leg at Italian giants Juventus, as Ajax secured a deserved 3-2 aggregate win and a return to the last four of Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 1997.
"I was going a bit crazy because we couldn't convert any of the chances. I wasn't born the last time we reached the semis," added De Ligt.
Ajax are the first team from outside England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France to reach the last four since compatriots PSV Eindhoven did so 14 years ago.

"We have incredible talents and, for our nation, it will get better and better," said manager Erik ten Hag.
"We were not favourites, but with our philosophy we again exceeded our limits.
"We know how to push boundaries every time. And with Tottenham or Manchester City there will be another challenge. We look forward to it."
Ajax last lifted the trophy in 1995 with a young, homegrown squad that contained future superstars like Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and Patrick Kluivert.
Their star players were gradually picked off by the era's biggest clubs, but they still managed to return to the final the following year and the semi-finals the season after.
Several of this year's squad are expected to leave in the summer, with Frenkie de Jong already having agreed a summer move to Barcelona.
"Apart from the first five minutes of the second half, we dominated after the break and were well worth our victory," De Jong said.
"In fact, we probably should have won by more."
'Football is vicious'
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said Ajax benefited from good fortune - Donny van de Beek's first goal in their 2-1 second-leg victory came from a mis-hit shot by Hakim Ziyech - but they ultimately deserved their win.
"Football is vicious, as you concede a fortuitous goal, the fear sets in, we got stretched out in the second half and should've had a different approach," he said.
"Ajax fully deserved their result and qualification to the semi-finals."
Allegri had been linked with a possible move to Chelsea, but insists he will stay at Juventus for the next season at least.
"I told the president that I will stay. We'll sit down with the club and think about the future," he added.


Comments
Join the conversation
Genuinely hope Ajax go all the way!!
It is tremendous to see a spirited team take on the cash rich giant clubs; a sign that you don't need a £100m player to win things. Well done them.
Love seeing Ronaldo revert back to his typical spoilt brat self. Poor media myth makers got a thrashing last night!
Sadly, as Monaco found out, their brilliant young players will all be picked off by the rich clubs over the summer.
Modern football stinks.
Good luck Ajax.
They are 5x European Champions with a long, established record of churning out top youngsters.
Yes they've not been this far for a long time but they're a big club with a 60k stadium and an income dwarfed by Madrid or Juve but bigger than 90% of European clubs and CL regulars.
Ajax have proven the same with a relatively cheaply assembled team.
Yet gossip merchants on the media are calling for MUFC to spend big to match Barca etc!
Absolute tosh!
They should be an inspiration to clubs like Celtic, just shows what happens when you go out with no fear and play to win.
No fear and play to win? Easy as that, eh? Takes more than that & inspiration.
Ajax have done so well because they have class players in their team, which Celtic don't.
But now I really want this Ajax side to get to the final at least, its great for football.
Last time we say this was 2010 when Germany played the WC with their players that were basically under 21's.
Too much crap in the present day footballers heads, too much money and distractions.
Come on Ajax, stir them up!!
The sad thing is that while the current team could well go on and win the Champions League, many of that team will be plying their trade elsewhere before too long.