Two former Celtic and Rangers stars locked horns in the Europa League tonight in much anticipated clash.
Ajax welcomed Bundesliga side Union Berlin to the Johan Cruyff Arena in the Europa League tonight, and it had every reason to be a barnstorming affair but it was anything but. For fans around the world they were looking forward to two high intensity teams going head-to-head, while Celtic and Rangers supporters got the chance to see Josip Juranovic and Calvin Bassey face off against one another.
Both players have struggled to pin down consistent starts since joining their respective clubs, but both got the chance to shine in this one. The Croatian full-back who signed in the January window from Celtic has been in and out the team but started in Amsterdam in place of captain Christopher Trimmel who was serving a one-match ban. While, Ajax head coach John Heitinga explained why Bassey had earned a start against Union.
Admitting the game would have the air of a chess match, he said: "Calvin is good at defending one-on-one, can play space in his back and play wide. The triangle with Timber and Álvarez is particularly important. Timber comes back with his right leg on the right side. Álvarez has to ensure the balance in midfield. There will also be times when Álvarez has to drop back in the last line. That will be an interesting game of chess."
Despite the build-up the game did not live up to expectation. Union put on a disciplined display and restricted the home side considerably. They prevented them playing so much Ajax failed to have a shot on target the entire game which did not go down well with the home crowd.
Bassey was forced to show off his one-to-one defending on a number of occasions when Union went on the counter-attack and he was more than up to the task. On the other side Juranovic had a quieter night but put on a solid display for the east Berlin side.
The Germans looked the more likely to score and had the ball in the back of the net thanks to Morten Thorsby, however it was ruled out by VAR after he was judged to have handled in the lead up.
It won't live long in the memory but they face-off again in a weeks time in Berlin where one former Celtic or Rangers player will be advancing to the next round.
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