Due to the hectic final phase at Olympique Marseille – Ajax, you would almost forget that John van ‘t Schip brought in a debutant in injury time. In the hope of still being able to score a point, the interim head coach of the Amsterdam team brought Benjamin Tahirovic to the side for . It was the 19-year-old left winger’s first appearance in Ajax’s main squad.
Both confrontations between Ajax and Olympique Marseille in the group stage of the Europa League will remain in the minds of many Ajax players for a long time to come. The first meeting in the Johan Cruijff ArenA already ended in a spectacular 3-3 draw, but on Thursday evening both teams went a few steps further in the Vélodrome. Despite the red card for Steven Berghuis, the team from Amsterdam seemed to leave the field with a point early in the second half, but things went wrong in injury time due to a huge mistake by Diant Ramaj.
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The current number eight of the Eredivisie therefore left the field with a sour feeling, but there will be one player who would like to be reminded of the squatter in the Vélodrome for the time being. Banel has already been in the main squad several times this season, but has not yet played in the home match against Ludogorets in the preliminary round of the Europa League and the league matches with AZ and PSV. So he was given a substitute appearance on Thursday against Olympique Marseille. Van ‘t Schip intervened shortly after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 4-3 by bringing in Tahirovic in addition to Brian Brobbey. The latter was therefore replaced by debutant Banel, who of course could not do anything in the short time he was given.
Banel, who celebrated his nineteenth birthday in October, arrived in Ajax’s youth academy in 2012. He then went through various youth teams, before joining Jong Ajax in the summer of 2022. Banel has played fifty times for the promises so far. He scored six times: three times last season and this season he has already made the net tremble three times. Banel signed his first contract with Ajax on June 3, 2022. His agreement runs until June 30, 2025. “I live for football and have never had any trouble with anything. I don’t hang out on the streets until late at night. I’ve never had that need. I am completely focused on what I want to achieve at Ajax,” Banel said earlier this year Ajax Life.
