Ajax lose again with match suspended twice in dying moments as club hits new low

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Ajax are genuinely on the precipice of a disaster after losing yet again in the Eredivisie.

The Dutch giants, who have never been relegated from the division, are one point off the foot of the table in 17th place after seven games. Their campaign has been nothing short of calamitous, with poor performances and game suspensions aplenty – and their defeat to Utrecht had both.

They were beaten 4-3, but mischievous Ajax fans did their best to prevent the defeat by chucking missiles onto the pitch when a opposition player was through on goal with the score at 3-3 in the dying embers. The referee immediately halted the game, and Oscar Fraulo grabbed a late winner for Utrecht in stoppage time once the contest was restarted.

READ MORE: Ex-Champions League winners in full blown crisis as they drop into the relegation zone

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Furious Ajax supporters disrupted play again with seconds remaining and the match was suspended for a second time in genuinely baffling scenes. The Amsterdam club had come from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 mid-way through the second half, only for Utrecht to net twice late on.

The defeat is Ajax's sixth of the season. It's the worst start they've ever made to a campaign and it leaves manager Maurice Steijn, who only joined the club in the summer, clinging to his job.

Could Ajax actually get relegated? Let us know in the comments section below.

Ajax finished third last season, having struggled in the wake of Erik ten Hag's departure in 2022. Their points tally of 69 was their lowest (discounting the 2019/20 season which ended prematurely due to the Covid-19 outbreak) since 2009, but if they're on course to win far fewer.

Their season has been plagued by unrest and misfortune. Their clash with Feyenoord last month was postponed after angry Ajax fans threw flares on the pitch after watching their team go 3-0 down. Their game against RKC Waalwijk, meanwhile, was abandoned when Waalwijk goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen was knocked unconscious in a scary collision with Ajax's Brian Brobbey.

Their crisis is made all the more shocking given the club's wealth, especially when compared to their domestic rivals. Over the past decade they've spent nearly three times as much on players as current Eredivisie leaders PSV have, and nearly five times as much Sunday's opponents AZ.

Should they actually get relegated this season it would be one of the most shocking falls from grace in football history. Not only are Ajax by far and away the most successful team in the history of Dutch football, but they're also one of the most successful teams in Europe, with four Champions Leagues/European Cups to their name.

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They last won the competition in 1995, but also won it three years running between 1971 and 1973 during the iconic Johan Cruyff era. They also won the UEFA Cup (Europa League) in 1992 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1987.

• Ajax FC
• Eredivisie

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