Wind shifts: Ajax overturns Sion lead in Conference League playoff

In a dramatic Conference League playoff first leg at the Stade de Tourbillon, Sion entered the break with a deserved 1‑0 lead, only to see the wind turn in favour of the Dutch and finish as the loser by 2‑4 against Ajax Amsterdam.

First Half Advantage for Sion

Franck Surdez opened the scoring in the 34th minute after a well‑crafted Sion combination, giving the Swiss representative a 1‑0 lead at half‑time. Before the pause, full‑back Numa Lavanchy saw a chance slip away when his effort was slightly deflected and flew over the bar.

Dutch Surge in Second Half

Ajax responded quickly after the interval, with Julian Brandt equalising in the 53rd minute and Marcos Leonardo adding the go‑ahead goal six minutes later. The wind shifted, favouring the Dutch, and the match entered a wild second half.

Winsley Boteli was lightly held on the shoulder by Jorthy Mokio, earning a penalty that Ilyas Chouaref calmly converted from eleven metres in the 71st minute, restoring parity at 2‑2. Just 49 seconds after the restart, Toluwalase Arokdare headed in the decisive third for Ajax, capitalising on a mis‑directed cross that had been blocked twice by Sion defenders Ali Kabacalman and Noé Sow.

In the 87th minute, Davy Klaassen finished the scoring, sealing a 4‑2 victory as the exhausted Sion players struggled to find fresh legs in the closing stages. The Dutch side controlled the match at will, exploiting the open spaces with clinical precision.

Implications for the Return Leg

Sion now requires a small miracle to overturn the two‑goal deficit in the second leg at the Johan‑Cruyff‑Arena, scheduled for Thursday at 20:00. The match will be broadcast live on SRF.

Elsewhere in the Conference League playoffs, Thun heads to the Europa League playoffs in Poland, St. Gallen secures a modest mortgage in the Conference League playoffs, and Lugano carries a mini‑lead into its return leg.