The much-hyped matchup between young and hungry Ajax and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Italian powerhouse ended in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.
The first leg of the draw leaves Juventus with the slightest advantage in the quarter-final tie after picking up an away goal.
Ajax, on the other hand, will be happy to travel to Turin next Wednesday with their hopes to advance to the semi-finals of the competition intact.
The first half of the game was a back-and-forth affair that provided scoring chances to both teams. While no one was able to score for the majority of the half, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring just before halftime.
The best player in the history of the Champions League found himself in open space in front of Ajax’s goal and buried a header past the keeper to put Juventus up 1-0 just before halftime.
Ajax, however, hadn’t given up.
In only the second minute of the post-halftime period, Ajax got their equalizer after a brilliant goal by David Neres.
The Ajax winger beat two Juventus defenders before beating keeper Wayne Sczcesny with a screaming strike.
The two teams both tried to add another goal before the final whistle, but neither side was able to break through.
The draw now moves back to Juventus’ home stadium for the decisive second leg next Tuesday night.
