PEC Zwolle 0:2 Ajax: Eredivisie Match Result

Match report

Ajax edged past PEC Zwolle 2-0 in the opening round of the Eredivisie season at the MAC3Park on Sunday. The visitors took all three points despite playing the majority of the match with ten men after S. Floranus was sent off in the fifty-seventh minute. J. Mokio opened the scoring in the seventy-sixth hour before J. Brandt sealed the result with a late goal in stoppage time.

By then the match had already shifted shape. Floranus's red card changed everything — Zwolle were reduced to ten and Ajax, who had been patient, found space to work. Mokio's goal came shortly after, and the visitors held their nerve when the match opened up again. Brandt's strike in the ninety-fifth minute was almost a formality, but it mattered as a statement.

To be fair, the statistics tell the story without embellishment. Ajax dominated possession at seventy per cent and launched 125 attacks compared to Zwolle's 77. The visitors created two big chances and registered six shots on target, while the hosts managed only one big chance and two shots on target. Expected goals stood at 1.97 for Ajax against 0.59 for Zwolle — numbers that reflect the flow rather than the outcome alone.

And here's the thing about matches like this: the moments that matter are not always the ones with the most noise. A red card in the second half, a goal before it, and a second one after — three events carrying the weight of ninety-five minutes. Everything else was background, and the camera rarely catches what matters most.

Zwolle sit thirteenth after five matches with four points, their recent form showing three defeats in their last three outings. Ajax move up to eighth place with seven points from four games, and they are in control of their own trajectory. The scoreline tells you the result; the story lies in who held their composure when the game changed.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 30 – 70

Shots on target 2 – 6

Shots off target 2 – 8

Expected goals 0.59 – 1.97

🟨 33' A. Ouazane — Yellow card 🟥 57' S. Floranus — Red card ⇄ 60' I. Cissoko — Substitution ⇄ 61' Y. Regeer — Substitution ⇄ 61' D. Mbayo — Substitution ⇄ 67' K. Dolberg — Substitution ⇄ 73' A. Ouazane — Substitution ⇄ 74' T. Oosting — Substitution ⚽ 76' J. Mokio — Goal ⇄ 85' T. Sommer — Substitution 🟨 86' D. Klaassen — Yellow card 🟨 88' G. Reiziger — Yellow card 🟨 89' K. Kostons — Yellow card ⚽ 90+5' J. Brandt — Goal

Match events

33' 0:0 Ajax Yellow card A. Ouazane
57' 0:0 PEC Zwolle Red card S. Floranus
60' 0:0 PEC Zwolle Substitution I. Cissoko off: D. van der Haar
61' 0:0 Ajax Substitution Y. Regeer off: M. Godts
61' 0:0 PEC Zwolle Substitution D. Mbayo off: G. Reiziger
67' 0:0 Ajax Substitution K. Dolberg off: Marcos Leonardo
73' 0:0 Ajax Substitution A. Ouazane off: T. Arokodare
74' 0:0 PEC Zwolle Substitution T. Oosting off: T. Velthuis
76' 0:1 Ajax Goal J. Mokio assist: T. Arokodare
85' 0:1 PEC Zwolle Substitution T. Sommer off: E. Sorensen
86' 0:1 Ajax Yellow card D. Klaassen
88' 0:1 PEC Zwolle Yellow card G. Reiziger
89' 0:1 PEC Zwolle Yellow card K. Kostons
90+5' 0:2 Ajax Goal J. Brandt assist: M. Godts

Statistics

30 Possession, % 70

2 Shots on target 6

2 Shots off target 8

0.59 Expected goals 1.97

1 Big chances 2

77 Attacks 125

2 Corners 10

12 Fouls 10

9 Free kicks 12

0 Offsides 0

2 Yellow cards 2

1 Red cards 0

8 Goal kicks 3

22 Throw-ins 28

All statistics

17/3549% Aerial duels 18/3551%

45 Backward passes 79

3 Blocked shots 12

32 Clearances 17

3/1225% Crosses 6/2623%

6/1735% Dribbles 8/2040%

0.49 Expected assists 1.67

62 Failed passes 66

4 Goalkeeper saves 2

8 Interceptions 4

5 Key passes 21

28/6146% Long passes 15/3444%

45 Passes into the final third 138

137 Passes in the opposition half 344

111 Passes in own half 229

0.29 Shot accuracy 0.23

3 Shots from outside the box 13

4 Shots inside the box 13

10/2245% Tackles 9/1369%

236 Total passes 547

Line-ups

PEC Zwolle

Starting XI
#	Player	number
1	Jasper Schendelaar	1
2	Sherel Constancio Floranus	2
3	Olivier Aertssen	3
24	Nick Viergever	24
28	Simon Graves	28
8	Tobias Sommer Sørensen	8
25	Thijs Oosting	25
30	Ryan Jared Thomas	30
10	Koen Kostons	10
11	Dylan Mbayo	11
22	Ibrahim Cissoko	22

Substitutes
#	Player	number
16	Tom de Graaff	16
5	Tijs Velthuis	5
33	Damian van der Haar	33
42	Dylan Rivard	42
18	Odysseus Velanas	18
20	G. Raiziger	20
26	Jadiele Pereira da Gama	26
34	Nick Fichtinger	34
37	Gilles van der Wal	37
9	Elias Sørensen	9

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Ajax

Starting XI
#	Player	number
1	Marc-André ter Stegen	1
2	Lucas Oliveira Rosa	2
12	Caio Henrique Oliveira Silva	12
15	Youri Baas	15
30	Aaron Bauman	30
6	Youri Pieter Regeer	6
10	Oscar Gloukh	10
18	Davy Klaassen	18
9	Kasper Dolberg Rasmussen	9
11	Mika Marcel Godts	11
23	Steven Berghuis	23

Substitutes
#	Player	number
22	Joeri Herckens	22
26	Maarten Paes	26
3	Anton Gaaei	3
5	Owen Wijndal	5
17	Daley Blind	17
8	Julian Brandt	8
24	J. Mokio	24
68	A. Ouazane	68
7	Maher Carriso	7
20	Oliver Valaker Edvardsen	20
38	Marcos Leonardo	38
99	Tolu Arokodare	99

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Recent form

PEC Zwolle

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Recent matches

All team matches

Ajax

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Recent matches

All team matches

#	Team	P	W	D	L	Points
1	AZ Alkmaar	7	6	1	0	19
2	Feyenoord	7	5	2	0	17
3	PSV Eindhoven	7	5	1	1	16
4	FC Twente	7	5	1	1	16
5	Ajax	7	4	2	1	14
6	Fortuna Sittard	7	4	1	2	13
7	Excelsior	7	3	2	2	11
8	Groningen	7	3	2	2	11
9	GO Ahead Eagles	7	2	4	1	10
10	Heerenveen	7	2	3	2	9

PEC Zwolle — Ajax, Eredivisie

Match report

Key numbers

Match events

Statistics

Line-ups

PEC Zwolle

Ajax

Recent form

PEC Zwolle

Ajax