Julian Brandt's Stunning Volley Ignites Ajax Victory
Julian Brandt ripped open the game with a stunning volley, yet barely raised an arm.
On a day when Ajax crushed Fortuna Sittard 5-1 in the Eredivisie, the German playmaker delivered the moment that changed everything – and then chose silence over celebration.
Brandt’s volley lights the fuse
Ajax had already survived an early scare. Marc ter Stegen had to react sharply to keep out Ole Romeny, a reminder that Fortuna were not just there to make up the numbers.
Then, on 35 minutes, Brandt stepped forward.
A loose ball dropped, the technique was pure, and his volley flew in to give the visitors the lead. It was the kind of strike that usually sends a player sprinting towards the corner flag, swallowed by team-mates and noise.
Brandt barely moved.
Speaking to ESPN NL after the match, the 30-year-old laid out the reason. His goal might have been brilliant, but his own verdict on the first half was brutal.
“I wasn't really happy with my performance in the first half,” he said. “I had some sloppy balls and easy passes that I wasn't happy with. For me, it was a moment to express my feelings instead of running around celebrating. I'm not that typical celebration guy anyway.”
The ball hit the net. The frustration stayed.
Ajax respond after setback
Fortuna did not fold. Early in the second half, Anthony Descotte struck to level the game and briefly tilt the mood inside the stadium. Ajax had invited trouble with the kind of loose passing Brandt had already highlighted.
For a few minutes, the match hung there, tense and open. Ajax had control, then let it slip, and Fortuna grew into those gaps.
The response was ruthless.
Thilo Kehrer restored the lead, and from there Ajax accelerated. Davy Klaassen added another. Kasper Dolberg joined the party. Youri Baas completed the rout. A 1-1 contest became a 5-1 statement, the ideal answer after last week’s domestic defeat.
Brandt saw both sides of the performance clearly. Ajax could cut through Fortuna at will, but they also handed them pockets of hope.
“We have moments where we have sloppy mistakes in ball possession, a little bit naive sometimes,” he admitted. “It's normal with a lot of new, young players, but we have to work on avoiding these small things. If you concede goals in future games, it makes everything harder.”
Ajax “smelled danger around the box,” as Brandt put it, and found the “door-opening” goal when it mattered. The warning was just as pointed as the praise: better sides than Fortuna will not be so forgiving if the ball keeps getting given away.
A fully fit Brandt, and a busy week coming
There was one area where Brandt had no complaints: his body.
After missing parts of pre-season, he has finally hit full speed again. He pointed to the data from recent games, including the match against PEC Zwolle, as proof that his sharpness is back.
“I'm at 100% now,” he said. “My physical data, like sprints and velocity, was really good. I'm ready for the busy week in front of us and hungry for more.”
Ajax leave with five goals, three points, and a playmaker who can win a game with a single swing of his boot – and still walk back to halfway thinking only about the passes he misplaced.
If this is Brandt at 100%, how far can this young, still-naive Ajax side go once their football starts to match his standards for himself?
