Dutch club Ajax
thrashed German giants Borussia Dortmund 4-0 on Tuesday in their Champions
League Group C game. With this win, Ajax have taken a big step toward advancing
to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time since they reached
the semifinals three seasons ago.

Ajax are
yet to drop points in Group C, with a third win in as many games giving the club
a three-point lead in the group Group C over Dortmund.

Kickoff was
slightly delayed due to smoke from fans’ pyrotechnics but once the game started,
Ajax needed just 11 minutes to take the lead. The buildup of pressure led to a
free-kick out wide which Dusan Tadic curled toward the goal. It took a deflection
off Marco Reus’ head along the way and went down as an own goal.

Daley Blind
made it 2-0 with his first goal in any competition for almost a year, shooting
in off the foot of the post after the ball fell to him on the edge of the
penalty area following Dortmund players’ bungled attempts to clear.

The hosts
scored a third in the 57th minute when Brazilian winger Antony cut
in from the right flank past the slow-to-react Emre Can and curled the ball
inside the far post.

The fourth
goal came soon after when Sebastien Haller used his height and strength to hold
off Can and Mats Hummels and head in a floated cross.

Dortmund is
used to relying on striker Erling Haaland’s talent to make up for its
shortcomings at the back in typically high-scoring games in the Bundesliga, but
the Norwegian was cut off from the rest of his team for most of the game
against Ajax.

Ajax
pressed well in midfield to cut the service to Haaland, back in European action
after missing the last game against Sporting Lisbon with a muscle injury. One
of the few exceptions came on the counter just after halftime when Haaland
picked up a long ball from Hummels and hit a shot that goalkeeper Remko
Pasveer pushed onto the crossbar.

Sporting
Lisbon beat Besiktas 4-1 in the other Group C game.

(With AP
input)