Tolu Arokodare scored his first goal for Ajax and set up another as the Dutch giants fought back from behind to beat FC Sion 4-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off tie in Switzerland on Thursday night.
Sion took the lead in the 34th minute when Franck Surdez found space inside the box and slotted the ball beyond Ajax goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen to make it 1-0. The Swiss side held that advantage into the second half before Ajax responded with a dominant display, scoring four goals from four different players after the break.
Julian Brandt levelled the contest in the 53rd minute, and new signing Marcos Leonardo turned the tie around seven minutes later, scoring his first competitive goal for the club since his move from Al Hilal to put Ajax 2-1 up. Sion drew level again from the penalty spot through Ilyas Chouaref with 20 minutes remaining, setting up a tense finish.
Arokodare, introduced from the bench in the 72nd minute to replace Leonardo, needed just two minutes to make his mark. The Nigerian striker rose to head home a cross from distance in the 74th minute, restoring Ajax’s lead and marking his first official goal for the club since his loan move from Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer.
The 25-year-old continued to influence proceedings after his goal, turning provider late on to set up Davy Klaassen for Ajax’s fourth in the 87th minute, putting the result beyond Sion’s reach. The win gives Ajax a two-goal cushion to take into the return leg at the Johan Cruijff Arena on August 27.
Arokodare has now been directly involved in three goals in his first four appearances for Ajax, having also assisted Jorthy Mokio’s opener on his Eredivisie debut against PEC Zwolle earlier this month. His early form has heightened expectations that he can play a central role as Ajax push for a top-two Eredivisie finish and a route back to Champions League football, having finished fifth last season.
Ajax will look to close out the tie against Sion next Thursday, with Arokodare’s impact from the bench giving head coach Michel Sanchez a compelling case to hand him more minutes in the weeks ahead.
