Ajax (foto: Getty Images)
Ajax’s season has descended into crisis after a historic home defeat to Excelsior, leaving the Amsterdam giants far from the Eredivisie title race.
Ajax find themselves trapped in a disastrous run of form, with Sunday’s home defeat to Excelsior Rotterdam marking a new low in what has become one of the club’s worst spells in decades.
The Amsterdam giants were beaten 2–1 at the Johan Cruyff Arena in the 13th round of the Eredivisie, suffering their first-ever home loss to Excelsior. The visitors’ hero was Noa Naujoks, who scored both goals in a shock victory over the four-time European champions.
What made the defeat even more alarming is the context: Excelsior arrived in Amsterdam sitting in the relegation zone, fighting simply to stay in the league. Ajax, meanwhile, slumped to their third league loss of the season, with five wins and five draws — a record that leaves them only mathematically in the title race. League leaders PSV are already 14 points ahead, a gap that appears insurmountable.
The broader picture is even bleaker. Sunday’s defeat means Ajax have won just once in their last nine matches across all competitions, a collapse that has enraged supporters and deepened concerns about the club’s direction.
The fall from grace has been rapid. Ajax last won the Eredivisie in 2022, and their most recent KNVB Cup triumph came in 2021. Since then, instability in the boardroom, coaching changes and poor recruitment have pushed one of Europe’s most iconic clubs into what many in the Netherlands are openly calling a “twilight zone.”