Ajax Players on Sale Block Score Dramatic 89th-Minute Win

Sometimes the players a team doesn't want become exactly who they need.

Ajax kept their Champions League hopes flickering with a dramatic 89th-minute victory in Spain, courtesy of Oliver Edvardsen. The Norwegian striker, currently listed for sale by the Dutch club, came off the bench to tuck away a perfect through ball from Anton Gaaei, another player Ajax is trying to offload.

The irony couldn't be sharper. Both Scandinavian players were put on the transfer market as Ajax scrambles to boost its finances, yet they combined to deliver the most important goal of the season.

The match in Villarreal had everything. Goalkeeper Vitaslav Jaros kept Ajax in the game during a thrilling first half, making spectacular saves to deny the Spanish side. The drama intensified when Villarreal scored just after halftime, and play stopped for five minutes while a steward received medical attention.

Ajax pushed forward, knowing only a win would keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive. Their persistence paid off when Oskar Gloukh's free kick deflected off a defender's head into the net just after the hour mark.

As time ran out, Gloukh missed a close-range chance that might have sealed it. Coach Fred Grim turned to his bench and brought on Edvardsen with six minutes remaining.

The Norwegian needed just one shot. With 60 seconds left in regulation, he finished coolly to send the rain-soaked away section into celebration.

The Bright Side

Ajax still faces long odds. They sit three points behind the playoff line with just one match remaining and need other results to fall their way. But this victory shows something money can't always buy: heart.

Edvardsen and Gaaei could have sulked after being told they weren't wanted. Instead, they stayed ready, stayed professional, and when their moment came, they delivered for a club actively trying to sell them.

Their example reminds us that rejection doesn't define our worth, and sometimes our biggest contributions come when others have already written us off.

Ajax will need a convincing victory over Olympiacos in Amsterdam and favorable results elsewhere to advance, but they're still fighting because two players on the sale rack refused to quit.