Ajax 5-1 Willem II
Ajax beat Willem II 5-1 in the Eredivisie, Regular Season round 3, at the Johan Cruyff Arena on 15 September 2026. The hosts took control early and never let up, while the visitors struggled to find any rhythm. And here's the thing — the result was never really in doubt.
Davy Klaassen opened the scoring in the 41st minute before Julian Brandt added another just before the break. Willem II made two changes at half-time, Per van Loon and Tonny Vilhena coming on. Viktor Tsygankov restored the two-goal cushion in the 69th minute, and Oscar Gloukh and Alessandro Ciranni made it 4-1 in quick succession before Kasper Dolberg rounded off the scoring in the 87th.
There were plenty of substitutions throughout. Ajax brought on Steven Berghuis for Klaassen in the 57th, Hidde ter Avest for Willem II in the 61st, Owen Wijndal and Julian Brandt off in the 67th, Jaden Slory for Willem II in the 70th, Thilo Kehrer in the 77th, and Maxim Dekker for the visitors in the 84th.
We had called for an Ajax win beforehand with a high degree of confidence, and that prediction held up nicely. The hosts dominated possession at 70 per cent and created six big chances to Willem II's two. They registered 12 shots on target against four, with expected goals of 3.36 to 1.57. Willem II made more clearances — 45 to Ajax's eight — but that was simply damage limitation.
Ajax move up to fourth place with 13 points from six games, four wins, one draw and one defeat. Willem II remain rooted to 17th with just two points, having lost four of their six matches. The gap between the sides is now considerable, and Ajax have shown they can be ruthless when given the opportunity.
