Ajax denied victory by refereeing decisions says Ten Hag
LONDON (Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik Ten Hag said refereeing decisions cost them victory against Chelsea in a pulsating Champions League match which ended 4-4 after two visiting players were sent off in the game's turning point in the second half on Tuesday .
LONDON (Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik Ten Hag said refereeing decisions cost them victory against Chelsea in a pulsating Champions League match which ended 4-4 after two visiting players were sent off in the game's turning point in the second half on Tuesday .
Ajax were 4-2 ahead with 20 minutes left in the Group H clash at Stamford Bridge when Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi showed second yellow cards to Daley Blind for a foul and fellow defender Joel Veltman for handball in the same passage of play which resulted in a Chelsea penalty converted by Jorginho.
Chelsea defender Reece James levelled minutes later to deny Ajax another famous scalp on their Champions League travels.
"I think we played magnificently tonight," Ten Hag told reporters. "I think we dictated the game and we were leading at 4-1 and 4-2 and I think we were controlling the game, and then in one minute in the game everything changed."
Ten Hag said Blind was fouled before he tripped Chelsea's Tammy Abraham -- which was to earn him a second booking -- but Rocchi allowed play to continue which led to the penalty decision and Veltman's dismissal.
"Some decisions were not on our side," he said. "I think we were several times punished."
Ten Hag said Ajax had also been on the wrong end of decisions when they were beaten 1-0 at home by Chelsea last month, and heaped praise on his players for creating chances to win Tuesday's match even when down to nine men.
"We deserved to win tonight, with 11 and also with nine," he said.
(Reporting by William Schomberg; editing by Ken Ferris)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
also read
France, Germany to agree to NATO role against Islamic State - sources | Reuters
By Robin Emmott and John Irish | BRUSSELS/PARIS BRUSSELS/PARIS France and Germany will agree to a U.S. plan for NATO to take a bigger role in the fight against Islamic militants at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, but insist the move is purely symbolic, four senior European diplomats said.The decision to allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to join the coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq follows weeks of pressure on the two allies, who are wary of NATO confronting Russia in Syria and of alienating Arab countries who see NATO as pushing a pro-Western agenda."NATO as an institution will join the coalition," said one senior diplomat involved in the discussions. "The question is whether this just a symbolic gesture to the United States
China's Xi says navy should become world class | Reuters
BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for greater efforts to make the country's navy a world class one, strong in operations on, below and above the surface, as it steps up its ability to project power far from its shores.China's navy has taken an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and a new aircraft carrier launched last month.With President Donald Trump promising a US shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.Inspecting navy headquarters, Xi said the navy should "aim for the top ranks in the world", the Defence Ministry said in a statement about his visit."Building a strong and modern navy is an important mark of a top ranking global military," the ministry paraphrased Xi as saying.