Amsterdam
Forget Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, the real star of the opening round of games in this season’s Champions League was Sebastien Haller, who scored four times for Ajax in their 5-1 thumping of Sporting in Portugal.
It was a remarkable Champions League debut for the 27-year-old Ivory Coast striker, the first player to score four goals in his maiden appearance in European football’s flagship club competition since Marco van Basten for AC Milan against IFK Goteburg in 1992.
“I remember when Marco van Basten did it, and he is one of the greatest players in the history of the game,” said Ajax coach Erik ten Hag. “That proves how historic a performance it is from Sebastien, but it is also a reflection of his qualities.
“It’s not just his physique but also his positioning and his finishing, and you also need to be really strong mentally to be able to do that.” Haller’s first two goals in Lisbon came from inside the six-yard box in the opening nine minutes.
He added two more in the second half from a fraction further out. That poaching ability is exactly why Ajax spent 22.5 million euros ($27.5m) to bring Haller back to the Netherlands from West Ham United in January, but Haller had something of an inauspicious start to his career in Amsterdam.
Ajax somehow forgot to register their new recruit for last season’s Europa League knockout phase. Had he been available they might have beaten Roma in the quarter-finals—AFP
