It wasn't one of those sweet moments for Ajax, as Frank Lampard's Chelsea struck a blow at the tail end of the game to hand the blues a 0-1 victory on Wednesday champions league clash. Not really sure if many expected Chelsea to win the game at the Johan Cruyff Arena, especially as Ajax painted a picture of being the favorites in Group H. The Dutch side had recorded two wins in their former Champions league encounters and appeared a bit likely to be on the winning side against Lampard's Blues. With no Kante to regulate proceedings in the middle for the Blues, Pedro or even Rudiger to strengthen Chelsea's walls, it all seemed like the best result Chelsea would be going home with will be a draw. But then, football is crazy and it never ceases to surprise me. The odds from the bookies made it even more deceptive as Chelsea were given higher odds to win the game over Ajax. Yeah, I fell for it this time around, not only did I lose my money, I also lost *500 scr* to @austino who I had placed a bet with on this game. Far from being an awesome night for me and I look forward to better days as a teeming bettor.
Ajax seemed not too bothered to score goals from the beginning of the match. Of course, they kept possession of the ball and preferred to romance the ball around without much eagerness to take outside 18 shots or push for goals that much. Chelsea knew they needed to win this game and increase their chances of advancing to the next round of the competition. They understood the fact that they won't be able to match Ajax in the midfield or possession of the ball, but the Blues had something Ajax were bereft of and that's a better defensive line. Lots of Chelsea fans will sure be impressed by Zouma's display in today's game, as he played a major role to ensure that the blues back line did not leak. Ajax's inability to be clinical in front of Chelsea's goal line later cost them the entire 3 points in the game. With lampard bringing in Michy Batshuayi to replace Tammy Abraham to the surprise of everyone, the Belgium forward didn't take too long to prove his mettle and justify Lampard's judgement. Though he squandered a goal from close range after coming in, he made sure he pacified Chelsea fans by netting the winning goal to boost Chelsea's confidence ahead of their premier league clash with Burnley. This defeat to Chelsea means that Ajax has suffered their first defeat in a champions league group stage since November 2014. It's also the first time the Blues are keeping consecutive cleen sheet under their new boss in all competitions. The Belgian Batshuayi also had more shots than any other player in the match and one of it resulted in the only goal of the day.
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