Ajax defeats Fortuna Sittard 5-1 as Thilo Kehrer and Julian Brandt score

First-half pressure and Brandt opener

Ajax travelled to Sittard seeking to recover from a 1-3 home defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the previous round. Head coach Míchel Sánchez altered his starting lineup, pairing Sofyan Amrabat alongside Jorthy Mokio in central midfield behind playmaker Julian Brandt. Steven Berghuis wore the captain's armband in place of the benched Davy Klaassen, testing Fortuna Sittard goalkeeper Matthijs Branderhorst with an eighth-minute strike. Fortuna Sittard threatened on the counter-attack through forward Lequincio Zeefuik and winger Ole Romeny, whose angled shot was tipped away by Marc ter Stegen before Tolu Arokodare cleared a Jasper Dahlhaus effort off the line. Ajax opened the scoring around the 35th minute when Brandt struck a bouncing ball on the edge of the penalty box into the top corner.

Second-half turnaround in Sittard

Fortuna Sittard levelled the match early in the second half through substitute Anthony Descotte, who broke through the Ajax defensive line and finished past Ter Stegen. Ajax regained control across the final thirty minutes of play to build a four-goal margin. Defender Thilo Kehrer restored the lead by heading in a rebound after Arokodare struck the crossbar. Substitutes Klaassen and Kasper Dolberg quickly added two more goals in open play to make the score 1-4. In stoppage time, defender Youri Baas scored from a corner kick to seal the 1-5 away victory.

Kehrer's starting debut and defensive role

Kehrer entered the starting lineup to replace centre-back Aaron Bouwman, who was ruled out for the rest of September after sustaining an injury from Ruben van Bommel in the PSV match. The 28-time Germany international, currently on loan from AS Monaco after previously playing for Paris Saint-Germain, recorded a goal and an assist in his first start. Kehrer contested duels against Zeefuik, who received a yellow card and was substituted at the break. After the final whistle, Kehrer discussed his integration into the team and his conversations with teammates before moving to Amsterdam.

“This club speaks for itself. Ajax is big. I see many things in the coach's philosophy that match the qualities I believe I have, and that the club also sees in me. I want to integrate well, bring quality, and help the club become successful. At a big club, it is always expected that you play for trophies.”

Standings and upcoming schedule

The away victory moved Ajax to ten points from five matches in the Eredivisie season. The squad continues to adapt to Míchel Sánchez's tactical structure, integrating recent additions such as Amrabat and left-winger Olivier Edvardsen. Kehrer noted that he spoke with German international teammates Marc ter Stegen and Julian Brandt, as well as former Monaco teammate Caio Henrique, who all spoke positively about the club prior to his arrival. Ajax next hosts Willem II in a rescheduled league fixture at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Tuesday.