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Ajax Dominate From the Start
From the opening whistle, Ajax looked every bit the side in control, much like they had in the first leg. Chances came thick and fast. Mika Godts tried his luck from distance, forcing a save, while Kasper Dolberg also had a sniff at goal, though his effort drifted just wide of the post.
Godts came agonizingly close to opening the scoring around ten minutes before the break, chipping the goalkeeper only to see the ball come back off the crossbar after a slick individual run. Against the run of play, Vojvodina snatched the lead through Crnomarković, capitalizing on one of their rare openings. Ajax responded before halftime, though, as Klaassen rose highest from a corner to head the equalizer and restore parity heading into the break.
Gloukh Hat Trick Seals the Rout
The second half belonged entirely to Ajax, and more specifically, to Oscar Gloukh. The Israeli international put his side back in front with a curling strike into the top corner, set up neatly by Godts. He wasn't done there — moments later, he added a second with a clever outside-of-the-boot finish, before completing his hat trick with a powerful strike that flew into the roof of the net. By the final whistle, Ajax had wrapped up a comfortable 4-1 win on the night.
There was also a notable debut in the second half, as Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo came on to replace Dolberg, marking his first appearance in Ajax colors.
Ajax will now turn their attention to Irish outfit Shelbourne FC in the next qualifying round, with the first leg set to be played in Amsterdam. The two-legged tie is scheduled for August 6 and 13. Should Ajax get past Shelbourne, they'll move into the playoff round, just one step away from reaching the Conference League's league phase.
