Superb defending.
While Chris Smalling didn’t exactly cover himself in glory at The Riverside, Ajax’s teenage defender Matthijs de Ligt has yet again shown why Netherlands coach Danny Blind has called him up for their upcoming games against Italy and Bulgaria.
With the game between Excelsior and Ajax evenly poised at 0-0, the hosts had a golden opportunity to take the lead when their striker Mike van Duinen picked up a through-ball and was bearing down on goal.
With only the ‘keeper to beat, it appeared that van Duinen had all the time in the world to pick his spot and finish.
The striker didn’t take into account a remarkable recovery from the teenage defender as he managed to put in a goal-saving tackle.
Take a look at de Ligt’s superb challenge.
Is it better than the one Mats Hummels pulled off a few weeks ago?
https://twitter.com/GalatasarayNL/status/843464154048598018
https://twitter.com/viking1905/status/843458271499468800
In the interest of fairness, a few moments later, de Ligt was at fault for the opening goal as he gifted Excelsior possession thanks to a sloppy back-pass.
Still though, it appears that the Ajax youngster has a bright future ahead.
https://twitter.com/DutchGoalsAMore/status/843463491650572288
