adminPARIS. – Four-time European soccer champions Ajax have been eliminated at the third qualifying round stage of the Champions League after a humiliating 3-2 second-leg defeat to Rapid Vienna on Tuesday.
Monaco advanced with a 4-0 win over Swiss side Young Boys.
After a 2-2 first-leg draw in the Austrian capital last week, Ajax were strong favourites to progress to the play-off round.
However, they suffered a torturous night at the Amsterdam Arena.
Frank de Boer’s men let a two-goal lead slip at the Ersnt-Happel Stadion last week and the visitors – seemingly buoyed by that comeback – started where they left off last week.
Slovenian international Robert Beric – the scorer of Rapid’s equaliser in the first leg – tormented Ajax again as he put the Austrian side in front after 12 minutes.
Louis Schaub doubled their lead before half-time.
Ajax, who had reached the group stages in each of the last four seasons, hauled themselves back into the match and levelled the aggregate scores at 4-4 thanks to goals by Polish international Arkadiusz Milik and Serbian midfielder Nemanja Gudelj.
But just as the tie seemed set for extra-time, Rapid Vienna – who last reached the Champions League group stages in the 2005/06 season – struck a decisive blow after 77 minutes via Schaub’s second goal of the night.
Rapid progress to the play-off round after a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Last season’s quarter-finalists Monaco are into the play-off round after a thumping 4-0 second-leg win over Swiss side Young Boys.
The Ligue 1 side – who reached the 2004 final where they were beaten by Portuguese giants Porto – were already 3-1 up from last week’s first leg in Bern and finished the job handsomely at the Stade Louis II thanks to a blistering second-half display. – AFP.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter