Disputed penalty earns Ajax dramatic draw

AMSTERDAM, (Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam scored twice in the final five minutes, including a controversial last-gasp penalty, to avoid a home defeat but a 2-2 draw with Utrecht on Sunday threw the Dutch title wide open.





Ajax went back to the top of the standings on goal difference from champions PSV Eindhoven with three games each left to play.

Arek Milik’s last-minute penalty rescued the point for Ajax who were 2-0 down with four minutes to play, securing what might prove to be a decisive point in their bid to win a fifth championship in six years.

By their own admission, however, they were given a major break by being awarded a spot-kick when Polish international Milik went down.

“In my eyes it was no penalty,” Ajax midfielder Davy Klaassen said.

“Arek was touched but I didn’t think it was a penalty. We should have played 10 times better but sometimes you get lucky. We now have some anxious weeks ahead.”

Klaassen had brought the score back to 2-1 in the 86th minute after Utrecht had netted through Nacer Barazite in the 56th minute and Patrick Johnson.

Ajax have had the upper hand in the title race with a goal difference of plus 54, six better than PSV.

ADO Den Haag won 2-0 away at Willem II Tilburg while NEC Nijmegen’s 2-1 victory kept SC Cambuur bottom of the table.





(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ed Osmond)


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