Ajax’s 6-1 win over Midtjylland fuels belief in a Dutch title race revival
Ajax delivered one of their most convincing performances of the season on Thursday, sweeping aside FC Midtjylland 6-1 in Denmark. The emphatic result caught the attention of television pundit René van der Gijp, who said the Amsterdam club’s display offered encouraging evidence that they are beginning to regain their best form.
The scoreline was striking, but Van der Gijp argued that Ajax deserved credit for more than simply taking advantage of the match situation. Midtjylland were reduced to ten men, yet Ajax continued to attack and press rather than retreat into a cautious approach. For the pundit, that commitment helped make the victory a meaningful sign of progress.
Van der Gijp praises Ajax’s attacking ambition
Speaking on Vandaag Inside, Van der Gijp pointed out that scoring six goals away from home is rarely straightforward, even when the opposition has a player sent off. A team with a numerical advantage can still struggle to break down a compact defence, particularly if the side in front chooses to crowd its own penalty area and protect the scoreline.
Instead, Ajax kept playing with purpose. The visitors continued to move the ball, look for openings and push forward as the match wore on. Van der Gijp said that a side could have opted to slow the game down and allow Midtjylland to defend deep, but Ajax maintained its attacking intent right through to the final stages.
That approach matters because a large victory can sometimes say less about a team’s underlying progress than the score suggests. In this case, however, Ajax’s willingness to keep creating chances gave the performance extra weight. The result reflected both their advantage in numbers and their ability to make that advantage count.
Signs Ajax are closing the gap
Van der Gijp said he has watched Ajax several times in recent weeks, including at home, and believes the team is moving in the right direction. He described the club as getting back on track and narrowing the distance between themselves and their main domestic rivals.
That assessment will be welcome to Ajax supporters after a period in which consistency and confidence have been important talking points. A strong European performance can provide a lift, but the bigger test is whether the team can reproduce that energy in the Eredivisie, where every dropped point can shape the season’s title race.
Van der Gijp also welcomed the prospect of a closer contest involving Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. A three-team battle would add intrigue to the campaign, keeping the championship picture uncertain deeper into the season and giving supporters meaningful stakes as the final matchdays approach.
His comments are not a prediction that Ajax will necessarily overtake their rivals. Rather, they reflect a sense that the Amsterdam side may again be capable of challenging consistently if this improvement continues. The Midtjylland result provides an encouraging data point, but Ajax still need to turn promising performances into a sustained run of league results.
Marcos Leonardo completes the rout
Ajax’s sixth goal arrived late in the match, with Marcos Leonardo finding the net to cap the visitors’ dominant evening. Johan Derksen joked that the forward may have needed the goal, while Van der Gijp teased him for celebrating so enthusiastically after making it 1-6.
The exchange added a light-hearted moment to the discussion, but Leonardo’s strike was also a useful contribution for a player looking to build confidence and make an impact. Late goals in a match already decided can still matter: they help maintain attacking momentum, reward players who keep working and reinforce the sense that the team is competing until the final whistle.
For Ajax, the goal was the final flourish in a performance where several players contributed to an impressive team result. A six-goal haul can boost confidence across the squad, especially when it comes from sustained pressure rather than a single spell of good fortune.
FC Twente provide the next test
Ajax cannot afford to dwell on the European win for long. Their next assignment is a demanding Eredivisie fixture away to FC Twente at the Grolsch Veste, scheduled for Sunday at 14:30. The match offers an immediate opportunity to show whether the sharpness displayed in Denmark can carry over into domestic football.
Twente’s home ground is a challenging venue, making the fixture a more revealing measure of Ajax’s current form than the final score against Midtjylland alone. Ajax will need to manage the atmosphere, defend carefully and retain the attacking confidence that helped them create so many chances in Europe. A win would strengthen the argument that the club’s revival is more than a short-lived burst of momentum.
That is the central prediction to watch: Ajax have shown they can produce a powerful performance, but their next result will indicate how reliably they can do it. Victory in Enschede would give the Amsterdam side a valuable boost and keep them connected to the race with PSV and Feyenoord. A setback, by contrast, would underline how much work remains before talk of a genuine title challenge feels fully justified.
A statement win, with more to prove
The 6-1 triumph over FC Midtjylland was an impressive result and a welcome sign of attacking confidence. Van der Gijp’s praise focused on Ajax’s refusal to ease off, even after the match had tilted in their favour. That mentality, combined with the team’s growing rhythm, has encouraged hopes that the club is beginning to close the gap on its rivals.
Still, one result does not settle the season’s bigger questions. Ajax must now prove they can bring the same intensity and discipline to a difficult league fixture. If they do, Thursday’s performance could be remembered not just as a European rout, but as a turning point in a campaign that may yet deliver a compelling Dutch football title race.
