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Ajax have strongly criticised an “utterly outrageous” firework display that caused their Eredivisie match against Groningen at the Johan Cruyff Arena to be abandoned.
Referee Bas Nijhuis took the players off the field within five minutes of the start after fireworks and flares were ignited behind one of the goals, and the stadium filled with smoke.
Attempts to restart the match 45 minutes later were met with more fireworks, causing referee Nijhuis to formally abandon the game.
Ajax said in a statement: “Ajax considers what happened in the stadium this evening to be utterly outrageous. We offer our apologies to everyone who has been affected in any way. The safety of spectators and players has been put at risk. That is unacceptable. We emphatically distance ourselves from this misconduct. Fireworks do not belong in the stadium.”
Real Madrid battled to a 1-1 draw at Girona in La Liga, as Kylian Mbappé’s second-half penalty cancelled out Azzedine Ounahi’s first-half opener, extending Real’s winless run in Spain’s top flight to three matches.
The result sees Real drop to second in the standings on 33 points, one behind leaders Barcelona. Villarreal sit third with 32 points, while Atlético Madrid are fourth on 31, with only three points separating the top four teams.
Girona scored the opener just before the break when Viktor Tsygankov led a rapid counterattack down the right channel. The Ukrainian delivered a pinpoint low cross to Ounahi, who fired a thunderous strike into the top corner from just inside the box, leaving Thibaut Courtois with no chance.
Madrid’s persistence eventually paid off in the 67th minute. Vinícius Júnior’s mazy run from the left led to a foul inside the box, earning the visitors a penalty. Mbappé stepped up to calmly slot his effort into the bottom-left corner, narrowly beyond the reach of Paulo Gazzaniga.
There was a dramatic early game in Spain, with Real Sociedad coming back from 2-0 to level at home against Villarreal but losing to a goal five minutes into added time. Goals from Ayoze Pérez just after the half-hour and Alberto Moleiro in the 57th minute established Villarreal’s lead, but Carlos Soler soon pulled one back and Ander Barrenetxea equalised three minutes from time. Moleiro had the last word, however, deep into added time.
In Italy, Napoli thwarted Roma’s attempt to reclaim first place in the Serie A standings with a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico, where David Neres’ goal moved the defending champions level on points with Milan at the summit.
The first half was a frantic, end-to-end affair, and just when the hosts looked to be gaining control, a quick Napoli counter led to Neres scoring the opening goal nine minutes before the break.
Roma huffed and puffed all through the second half but never really troubled the Napoli keeper and Antonio Conte’s side earned back-to-back wins in a title race with little margin for error.
Inter’s Lautaro Martínez scored a second-half double to earn his side a 2-0 at Pisa despite a less than convincing performance.
Inter arrived in Tuscany looking to get back on track after their derby defeat by Milan last weekend was followed by a Champions League loss at Atlético Madrid, but they were made to battle all the way by promoted Pisa. The hosts created plenty of chances but a clinical Inter scored the opening goal in the 69th minute when the Argentinian Martínez smacked a first-time shot into the roof of the net and the forward tapped in from close range seven minutes from time.
In Norway, Viking hammered Vålerenga 5-1 at home on the final day of the Eliteserien to hold off the challenge of Bodø/Glimt and secure the Norwegian league title for the first time in 34 years, prompting a pitch invasion by the Stavanger club’s delirious fans.
Having finished third last term, five points behind Bodø, Stavanger held their nerve in a thrilling run-in, winning their last seven games to end up with 71 points, one more than Bodø.
Knowing a win on the final day would secure the title, any nerves were quickly dispelled when Edvin Austbø scored for Viking after 10 minutes, and a goal from Martin Ove Roseth and a penalty from Zlatko Tripić sent them in 3-0 up at the break.
Valerenga’s Elias Kristoffersen Hagen dampened the mood a little when he pulled one back for the visitors five minutes after the break, but two more goals put the crowd back in party mood and the final whistle was greeted with an explosion of joy in the stadium.
Bodø, who have been battling to hold their own in this season’s Champions League group stage, did what they could to keep the pressure on by beating Fredrikstad 5-0 at home, but their adventures in Europe, which took them to the semi-finals of last season’s Europa League, had already taken their toll as Viking edged them to the title.
“It’s completely surreal, to stand in this crowd,” the defender Kristoffer Haugen, who netted Viking’s fourth goal, said. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I started going to the stadium when I was two years old. This is a boy’s dream come true,” he added as fans wildly celebrated the club’s first league trophy since 1991.
