Ajax end long wait for trophy with Dutch Cup victory

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands -- Ajax have captured their first trophy since 2014 by beating Willem II 4-0 in the Dutch Cup final in Rotterdam on Sunday.

Three days before the return leg against Tottenham Hotspur in the semifinals of the Champions League, Ajax coach Erik ten Hag rested three players, David Neres, Lasse Schone en Joel Veltman, bringing in Rasmus Kristensen, Noussair Mazraoui and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the starting line-up.

Opponent Willem II from Tilburg opted for a more defensive line-up than usual in an attempt to be more resilient to the offensive power of Ajax.

The Willem II plan only worked in the first half hour of the match in Feyenoord's stadium, fully packed with 50,000 spectators. The final was in balance, with a chance for Huntelaar and on the other side for Willem II's Swedish forward Alexander Isak.

The individual class of Ajax made the difference. Former Willem II player Frenkie de Jong, who leaves Ajax for FC Barcelona after this season, took a short corner to Hakim Ziyech, who passed through to Dusan Tadic and the following subtle pass by the Serbian was completely missed by the Willem II defense and headed in by Daley Blind in the 38th minute. One minute later Ziyech set himself free and found Huntelaar for the second goal.

With possibilities for Vangelis Pavlidis and Isak Willem II started the second half strongly, but Huntelaar definitely secured the victory by tipping in a cross by Donny van de Beek in the 67th minute. When rain and hail came down from the sky Kristensen produced the fourth goal with a shot in the far corner on an assist by Huntelaar to make it 4-0.

Ajax captured the Dutch Cup for the 19th time in history, a Dutch record. It was the first Dutch Cup for Ajax since 2010 and even the first prize for the Amsterdam based giants since the league title in 2014, the longest period without a trophy for Ajax since the entrance of professional football in the Netherlands in 1954.

More trophies might follow with Ajax still being in the Champions League after the 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in London, and leading the Dutch league with two match rounds remaining, so no festivities will be held yet for Ajax.