Despite Tolu Arokodare's goal, Ajax suffered a setback in their Eredivisie title quest on Saturday. The Amsterdam players dominated Excelsior at home, but the visitors from Rotterdam proved to be remarkably efficient: the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Kasper Dolberg returned to the starting eleven in attack for Ajax, while Viktor Tsygankov made his debut as a starter due to Steven Berghuis's absence. Míchel Sánchez's team quickly took the lead and controlled the game, but chances were scarce in the early stages. Another blow came with the injury of Caio Henrique, who was replaced by Owen Wijndal.

However, the game became increasingly fluid for Ajax. Dolberg hit the crossbar, and Excelsior goalkeeper Van Gassel had to work hard after a header from Thilo Kehrer. Finally, Julian Brandt opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a low cross from Oscar Gloukh. As against Willem II on Tuesday, this seemed to give Ajax the green light to intensify their offensive efforts. With attractive play, a second goal appeared imminent.

Nevertheless, the match took an unexpected turn. Unlike the Tilburgers, Excelsior clearly showed they had resources. While the home team seemed to take the match too lightly, Lennard Hartjes struck. At that moment, the Kralingers were occasionally disoriented, but they ultimately went into the locker room with a score of 1-1.

Tolu's decisive intervention

In the second half, Ajax tried to push the accelerator, but after just over an hour of play, a heavy silence fell over the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Aymen Sliti, on loan from Feyenoord, surprised everyone by equalizing at 1-2. Any hope of victory was quickly dashed by substitute Tolu Arokodare. Cheered on by the crowd, the fan favorite finished the play with an assist from Gloukh: 2-2.

Ajax then launched into a search for victory. Van Gassel denied a beautiful shot from Anton Gaaei, Gloukh hit the post, and David Garden saved a header from Tolu on the line. Luck did not seem to be on the side of the Amstellodamois. Míchel's team maintained an intense pace, pushing the visitors back into their half, but misfortune continually betrayed them. Tolu, for instance, also saw a header graze the post.

Tension remained palpable until the final minute, but Ajax failed to convert their chances. As a result, Ajax lost valuable points in the Eredivisie. PSV and AZ could extend their lead to five points on Sunday, while Feyenoord could pull three points ahead of their historic rival.