Ajax lose to amateur team in Dutch Cup to continue tumultuous season

Ajax’ Dutch forward Brian Brobbey fights for the ball with USV Hercules’ Dutch defender Valentijn Beck during their 2nd round of the KNVB Cup match at Galgenwaard stadium in Utrecht, on Dec. 21, 2023. (AFP)

• Ajax were beaten 3-2 by USV Hercules, which play in the fourth tier of Dutch soccer

UTRECHT, Netherlands: Dutch soccer giant Ajax lost to an amateur team in the KNVB Cup for the first time in their illustrious history on Thursday.
Ajax were beaten 3-2 by USV Hercules, which play in the fourth tier of Dutch soccer.
“This should not have happened,” Ajax assistant coach Michael Valkanis said after the second-round game in Utrecht.
It continues a tumultuous season for Ajax, which are in fifth place in the Eredivisie after their worst start to a campaign since the advent of professional soccer in the Netherlands in 1954. The four-time European champions went 10 matches without a win at one stage, their longest-ever run without a victory.
“We are having a very difficult season,” Valkanis said. “But we have to continue and get everything on track.”