Ajax Dismantle Fortuna Sittard 5-1: Brandt, Klaassen and Dolberg Lead Eredivisie Demolition
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
Some results tell you everything you need to know. Ajax 5, Fortuna Sittard 1. In an Eredivisie fixture played on Saturday 12 September 2026, Ajax did not just win. They walked through Fortuna Sittard like the door was already open. The basics were not even close to even. The desire to compete was one-sided. That is unacceptable at any level of professional football. End of.
How It Unfolded
Ajax drew first blood through Julian Brandt on 35 minutes. A left-foot finish, and Ajax went into the break a goal to the good. Fortuna had chances to disrupt things before that but never truly threatened. The discipline was poor too. Jorthy Mokio picked up a yellow card for a foul in the sixth minute, and Youri Baas followed with another booking on 23 minutes. Two yellows inside the first quarter. That sets the tone for a side under pressure.
Fortuna's Lequincio Zeefuik was booked on 44 minutes and was immediately hooked at half-time, replaced by Anthony Descotte. The thing is, that substitution actually gave Fortuna their only moment of genuine quality in the entire match. Descotte came on and scored six minutes into the second half, finishing with his left foot to make it 1-1. For about ten minutes, you could have wondered if this was a contest.
It was not a contest.
Ajax Turned the Screw in the Second Half
Thilo Kehrer headed Ajax back in front on 62 minutes. Davy Klaassen, who had come on as a substitute at 58 minutes, headed home his own goal on 73 minutes. Klaassen was assisted by Kehrer. The two defenders combining for two of Ajax's five goals tells you plenty about how exposed Fortuna were from set pieces and crosses. Ajax put 28 total crosses into the box and landed 12 accurately. Fortuna managed 2 accurate crosses from 16 attempts. That is not a tactical problem. That is a standards problem.
Kasper Dolberg came off the bench at 74 minutes and made an immediate impact, converting a right-foot shot in the 79th minute, assisted by fellow substitute Oscar Gloukh. Then, deep into injury time, Youri Baas added a fifth from a header, assisted by Viktor Tsygankov, to complete the rout. The same Baas who had been booked for a foul in the 23rd minute was heading in a fifth in the 96th minute. That is the kind of afternoon Fortuna Sittard will want to forget quickly.
The Numbers Are an Embarrassment for Fortuna
Listen, I do not need a spreadsheet to know when a side has been overrun. But the numbers here confirm what the eyes already told you. Ajax had 65 per cent possession. They attempted 27 shots to Fortuna's 8. Ajax landed 11 shots on target. Fortuna managed 4. Ajax created 8 big chances. Fortuna created 1. One. Ajax had 21 key passes. Fortuna had 5. The gap between these two sides was not just a gap. It was a chasm.
The accurate crosses tell you where Fortuna's defence was torn apart. Twelve accurate crosses from Ajax. Two from Fortuna. The thing is, you can survive without the ball if your shape is disciplined and your desire to defend is total. Fortuna's was neither. Their back line was carved open repeatedly in the second half and they offered no meaningful resistance once Descotte's equaliser was quickly cancelled out.
Fortuna's goalkeeper and those in front of him made 6 saves, which sounds respectable until you remember Ajax scored 5 and hit the woodwork once. Ajax had 4 big chances missed on top of the 5 goals. This Fortuna side were a shambles defensively and there is no other word for it.
Ajax Were Not Perfect, But They Were Dominant
Ajax collected five yellow cards themselves. Mokio, Baas, Steven Berghuis, Caio Henrique and Abdellah Ouazane all saw yellow. Berghuis was taken off shortly after his booking. That is a lack of discipline that a manager cannot be happy with, regardless of the scoreline. Five bookings in a routine away win is sloppy. It is a lack of accountability in the moment. Ajax have enough quality in this squad to win without resorting to fouls. They committed 12 on the day.
That said, the performance was largely ruthless where it mattered. Brandt, Kehrer, Klaassen and Dolberg all scored. The substitutes changed the game decisively in Ajax's favour. Klaassen came on and scored within 15 minutes. Dolberg came on and scored within 5. That is what squad depth and attitude looks like when it is pointed in the right direction.
What This Means for Fortuna Sittard
Fortuna came into this match with five wins, one draw and one loss from their last five Eredivisie matches, having beaten ADO Den Haag 3-2 and FC Groningen 3-2 in their two most recent outings. So this was not a side utterly devoid of quality going into the game. They could compete against sides at their level. What they could not do was compete against Ajax. Not even close.
Fortuna had no clean sheet across their last five Eredivisie matches and conceded nine goals in that spell. Their defensive frailty was already there on paper before a ball was kicked on Saturday. Ajax simply exposed it with maximum efficiency.
The thing is, when a side with no clean sheets in five matches hosts one of the most attack-minded squads in Dutch football, you already know what is likely coming. Fortuna's manager has work to do. The attitude shown in the second half, capitulating from 1-1 to 1-5, is unacceptable. You sort the basics first. You stay organised. You make it hard. Fortuna did none of those things after Descotte's equaliser gave them a lifeline they failed to grip.
Ajax Keep Winning Away from Home
Five goals. Eleven shots on target. Sixty-five per cent possession. That is a performance built on desire and execution. Ajax were better in every department that matters. Fortuna Sittard had their consolation through a substitute, and that was all they deserved. The result was fair. If anything, it was kind.
