Dominant Ajax beats Dortmund 4-0 in Champions League

Amsterdam, Oct 20 (AP): Ajax surged past Borussia Dortmund 4-0 to take a big step toward advancing to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time since the Dutch club reached the semifinals three seasons ago.
A third win from three games on Tuesday gives Ajax a three-point lead in Group C ahead of Dortmund, whose often-unreliable defense couldn’t cope with Ajax’s smart movement off the ball. That led to Dortmund’s heaviest Champions League defeat and Ajax’s biggest win against German opposition since 1973. “A beautiful night. We played well. I think the fans can go home satisfied tonight,” Ajax midfielder Steven Berghuis told RTL television. After a kickoff delayed slightly by smoke from fans’ pyrotechnics, Ajax needed just 11 minutes to take the lead. The buildup of pressure led to a free kick out wide which Dusan Tadic curled toward goal. It took a deflection off Marco Reus’ head along the way and went down as an own-goal.
Daley Blind made it 2-0 with his first goal in any competition for almost a year, shooting in off the foot of the post after the ball fell to him on the edge of the penalty area following Dortmund players’ bungled attempts to clear.
With Dortmund still struggling to track Ajax players’ movement in attack, the hosts scored a third in the 57th when Brazilian winger Antony cut in from the right flank past the slow-to-react Emre Can and curled the ball inside the far post.
The fourth goal came soon after when Sebastien Haller used his height and strength to hold off Can and Mats Hummels and head in a floated cross for the French striker’s sixth goal in three Champions League games.
“Everything was right this evening,” Ajax coach Eric ten Hag said.
“They played really well in possession, but also in defense, pressing together with high intensity.”