Ajax progress after Shelbourne expose flaws in Dublin draw

Ajax secured a place in the next round of the Conference League despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Shelbourne at a sold-out Tolka Park. The Amsterdam side progressed 5-3 on aggregate after winning the first leg 3-1, although their two-goal advantage did not produce a comfortable return in Ireland.

Shelbourne scored twice and created enough danger to threaten an upset, with Ajax at one stage at risk of falling behind on the night. The Irish Examiner praised the home side’s performance while arguing that Ajax had fallen short of expectations. It also noted that Shelbourne would regret conceding two inexpensive goals.

The Irish Independent reached a similar verdict, saying Shelbourne made Ajax “sweat more than they would have liked”. The newspaper highlighted the visitors’ discomfort in the tight surroundings of Tolka Park and suggested coach Míchel could face further criticism following another display that was less convincing than the difference in resources between the teams might have implied. RTE News also commended Shelbourne, describing their display as excellent even though Ajax advanced.

Shelbourne manager John Russell expressed pride in his players but felt the tie might have developed differently. He was disappointed by the goals conceded and believed refereeing decisions, including a VAR incident, had not favoured his team. Russell nevertheless said he was satisfied with Shelbourne’s overall showing against Ajax, while acknowledging the difficulty of their European assignment.