My player grades for Juventus - Ajax
Andre Onana - 7.5
Didn't have to do all too much. Juve didn't record a shot on goal after minute 31, I believe. Hardly to blame for Ronaldo's header. Onana was confident and consistent in net.
Nousair Mazraoui - Incomplete
Daley Sinkgraven - 7.5
The midfielder turned left back filled in perfectly for the injured Mazraoui. I've been tooting his horn for a while now and feel he's the only one in the Ajax selection capable of filling Frenkie's shoes a bit. He's so comfortable on the ball. Was impressed by his smart timing and defending vs Juventus, but I hope he gets an opportunity to play midfield next season.
Daley Blind - 9
In my mind the best player on the pitch. Blind somehow has a bit of a bad rep internationally, because he can make some bad, nonchalant looking errors at times, but he's been rock solid. Cleared everything and was a vocal leader in the back. He and De Ligt complimented eachother perfectly.
Mathijs de Ligt - 8.5
The only reason I have him lower than Blind is because I don't like the way he and Veltman handled that corner which Ronaldo scored on. Whether it was a set screen from Juve or just bad luck; it looked a bit clumsy. With that said, he won every duel with Ronaldo, dominating the air in particular. Scored the game winner and also proved he is a serious threat on set pieces, something he's done multiple times during the domestic season. Just fearless and hard to beat in the air. Not sure if van Dijk is the better Dutch central back right now.
Joel Veltman - 8
Consistent, mistake free. No nutmegs this time. Veltman was steady and was on his opponents like a wet suit. Also impressed by his smart and quick thinking building up. He took part in some entertaining attacks in the second half. I think Ten Hag has a luxery here now, but I'd play Veltman in tight games and Mazraoui when you expect to have more ball possession.
Lasse Schöne - 7.5
Rather unfortunate during the beginning stages of the game, which he tried to compensate with hard and aggressive defense. Should've gotten a yellow for any of his lately timed tackles in the first 20 minutes. Settled as the game went on and especially in the second half proved his worth for this squad with a smart and quick tw0-way game. Assisted on De Ligt's winning header.
Frenkie de Jong - 7.5
Frenkie was a game time decision, but from the get go you could see some inconveniences in his game. Juve also played him extremely close for much of the first half. It was their game plan and worked for larger parts of the first 45 minutes. It wasn't until Juve realized this opened up more room for van de Beek, before Frenkie started to find his groove.
Donny van de Beek - 8.5
Donny was great once again. His offensive awareness was outstanding. He happily took advantage of the extra space that popped up with Juve pressuring Frenkie constantly. Was involved in every dangerous attack Ajax set up, but also neutralized Juve's midfield as much as possible. Scored an important goal, in minute 34 no less:
Seeing this still hurts. Ajax has been impressive with it's home grown talents this CL, with Frenkie and De Ligt getting most of the praise, but it's biggest pearl was always Nouri. Imagine this team with another talent of Frenkie's and De Ligt's caliber. Just insane.
Hakim Ziyech - 6.5
Not his best game. Ziyech in fact has been disappointing lately, also domesticcaly. Just tried too hard where in fact he plays best when he tries to keep it simple. Showed his true colors more in the second half, where he found his teammates more easily and was a main cog in some sweet attacks. I think for such a volume shooter, he needs to develop a better shot. It lacks accuracy and power and looks rusty.
Dusan Tadic - 7
Wasn't involved as much as he'd like. He couldn't be decisive around the box, but with more room popping up in the second half, he immediately looked more dangerous. I like Tadic to shoot more, as he's always looking to pass.
David Neres - 7.5
Just a threat whenever he had the ball. His runs were always creative and opportunistic. He clicked much better in the second half, as did most of his teammates.