Ajax suffered a painful practice defeat against the Italian club Como two weeks before the start of the Eredivisie. The team of coach John Heitinga lost the final of the practice tournament in the Italian seaside resort with 3-0.
Ajax was already facing a deficit halfway through the first half. Lucas Rosa, who started as left back, caused a penalty by knocking down former AZ attacker and brand-new Como player Jayden Addai. Nico Paz did not fail from 11 meters.
In the sequel, Ajax could not do much, not even after Heitinga had changed six times at halftime. Immediately after the break, Martin Baturina made it 2-0 for the number ten of the past Serie A season, which is trained by former top football player Cesc Fàbregas.
Anastasios Douvikas, former striker of FC Utrecht, determined the final score from the spot at 3-0. The penalty was caused by youth player Nick Verschuren. Goalkeeper Remko Pasveer did get his hand against the effort, but he still had to capitulate.
The result was not the only setback for Ajax. Kian Fitz-Jim dropped out halfway through the first half with an injury. The severity of the midfielder’s injury is not yet known. Jorrel Hato was also missing from the match selection due to transfer issues. He is wanted by Chelsea.
For Ajax, it is the first defeat in the preparation, after previous victories over Hibernian (6-3), PAOK (2-1), KV Mechelen (3-2) and Celtic (5-1) and a draw against Aarhus GF (1-1). The Amsterdammers will practice against AS Monaco next Sunday. Ajax starts the Eredivisie season on August 10 with a home match against promoted Telstar.