Julian Brandt Volley Sparks Ajax’s 5-1 Win at Fortuna Sittard
Ajax answered last week’s domestic defeat with a 5-1 Eredivisie win at Fortuna Sittard, with Julian Brandt’s 35th-minute volley providing the breakthrough in a performance that grew increasingly decisive after the interval.
Brandt’s volley changes the balance
Fortuna began with enough threat to test Ajax, and Marc ter Stegen produced an important early save to keep out Ole Romeny. Ajax then took control through Brandt, whose fine volley opened the scoring after 35 minutes.
The German midfielder did not celebrate with much emotion despite the quality of the finish. Brandt said he had been dissatisfied with parts of his first-half display, particularly some simple passes and losses of possession, and used the goal as a release rather than an occasion for a traditional celebration.
Anthony Descotte levelled after the break, briefly giving Fortuna a route back into the game. Ajax responded emphatically, however, as Thilo Kehrer, Davy Klaassen, Kasper Dolberg and Youri Baas all scored to turn the contest into a comprehensive away victory.
Match timeline
- Marc ter Stegen denies Ole Romeny as Fortuna create an early opening.
- Julian Brandt volleys Ajax ahead in the 35th minute.
- Anthony Descotte equalises following half-time.
- Thilo Kehrer restores Ajax’s advantage before further goals from Davy Klaassen, Kasper Dolberg and Youri Baas complete a 5-1 result.
Possession errors remain Brandt’s warning
While pleased with Ajax’s cutting edge around the penalty area, Brandt identified careless possession as an issue that requires attention. He felt the visitors allowed Fortuna short periods of control through unnecessary mistakes and suggested stronger opponents would be more ruthless if Ajax continued to make similar errors.
Brandt linked those problems in part to the number of newcomers and younger players in the group, describing such moments as understandable but not acceptable over the longer term. His message was that Ajax must reduce those lapses because conceding in future matches would make their task considerably more difficult.
Ajax nevertheless showed the ability to recognise the key moment in the match. Brandt viewed his opening goal as the strike that unlocked the game, allowing the visitors to exploit their superiority and deliver the response required after their previous league loss.
Fitness boost before a demanding period
The 30-year-old also confirmed that he now feels fully fit after missing portions of pre-season. Brandt said recent tracking figures, including sprint and speed data from matches against PEC Zwolle, showed he had returned to his top physical level.
He believes he is ready for the congested run of fixtures ahead and remains eager to build on Ajax’s commanding win in Sittard.
Key takeaways
- Ajax recovered from their previous Eredivisie defeat with a five-goal away performance.
- Brandt supplied the opening goal but was self-critical about his early use of the ball.
- Fortuna’s equaliser did not disrupt Ajax, who scored four further times through Kehrer, Klaassen, Dolberg and Baas.
- Brandt has declared himself fully recovered physically after an interrupted pre-season.
