Late goals lift Ajax to 2-0 win over Atalanta

Tolu Arokodare scored in the 87th minute and Abdellah Ouazane added a second in stoppage time as Ajax beat Atalanta 2-0 in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night.

The match was scoreless until late at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, where 51,739 watched. Arokodare broke the deadlock, finishing from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner after a pass from Youri Baas.

Ouazane sealed it in the third minute of stoppage time. He took a pass from Arokodare and hit a left-footed shot from a tight angle on the left into the high centre of the goal.

The result gave Ajax three points in the league phase of the competition, where 36 clubs each play six matches. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while the clubs placed ninth through 24th go into a knockout playoff in February. Clubs that finish lower are eliminated.

Arokodare was involved in both goals, scoring the first and setting up the second. Atalanta conceded twice in the final four minutes and left Amsterdam without a point.

The Conference League result came on a busy Thursday of European football that also saw Bournemouth beat a 10-man AC Milan in the Europa League, as reported by Canada News Media. Juventus were held to a draw by Rennes in a match decided by two penalties, and Celta Vigo came from behind to beat Celtic in Glasgow.

Ajax and Atalanta will each return to league-phase action in the next round of Conference League fixtures, with UEFA’s schedule available on its official website.

Via ESPN and BBC Sport.

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