Ajax Facing Risk of Losing the Cup at the Last Minute: Hoping for a Miracle in the Final Round

Ajax thought they had overcome the difficulties of winning the title after three years. But now a new crisis has hit Amsterdam. Just three weeks ago, Francesco Farioli’s team were leading the Dutch Eredivisie by nine points from PSV Eindhoven. But now, Ajax have lost their right to decide.

A poor run of form – two defeats and two draws in their last four games – has left Ajax in second place with 75 points. With one game remaining, PSV are just one point ahead of Ajax. Ajax host Twente – who have already secured a place in the Europa League – at the Johan Cruyff Arena, while PSV travel to Sparta Rotterdam.

In short, Ajax’s nine months of hard work could go up in smoke in just three weeks. They lost 0-4 to Utrecht, 0-3 to Nijmegen at home, and were held to draws by Sparta (1-1) and Groningen (2-2) – with Groningen scoring a 99th-minute equaliser despite being down to 10 men.

Farioli – Ajax’s first foreign coach since Morten Olsen in 1998 – hopes his team can pull off a miraculous comeback in the final round, laying the foundations for a long-term Dutch reign. After changing coaches six times in three years, Ajax are in desperate need of stability to overcome the recent turbulence. Everything now hinges on a miracle: Ajax must beat Twente, and PSV must also draw or lose.