Jofre Torrents debut goes wrong as Ajax lose in Split

Ajax went to HNK Hajduk Split for their UEFA Europa Conference League opener and came away with a 2-1 defeat that quickly became a story about one player. Nineteen-year-old Jofre Torrents made his first Ajax start and his first appearance in European competition, and the decisive goal came after his misplaced pass set up Marin Soticek two minutes after Davy Klaassen equalised. Before this match, Torrents had played only eight minutes in the Dutch league.

Torrents' first European start

The numbers around the debut were harsh. Torrents finished as the lowest-rated Ajax starter with a 5.6, spent 75 minutes on the pitch and won 4 of 8 duels. He also completed 2 successful dribbles, so this was not a night where he disappeared entirely, but the error that led to the winner was always going to dominate the conversation.

Ajax had already fallen behind to Abdoulie Sanyang in the 37th minute before Klaassen levelled in the 53rd. Soticek restored Hajduk's lead in the 55th, and Torrents was later substituted in the 76th minute.

The Dutch reaction

The reaction in the Dutch media was immediate and unforgiving. De Telegraaf, quoted by SPORT1 in German, said: "Torrents' debut is going completely wrong." The same outlet added: "not everything that FC Barcelona develops is top class." AD offered a different angle, saying: "That was not apparent." Voetbal International was even blunter, writing: "Ajax is digging its own grave."

That split in tone matters. One line of criticism pointed at Torrents alone, while the others treated the night as part of a wider Ajax problem. Marc-André Ter Stegen was not the story here, despite his strong saves elsewhere, and the same can be said of the rest of the team. Ajax are on a third game without a win, fifth in the Eredivisie and five points behind leaders Feyenoord, so this was already a fragile moment before the debut went wrong.

Ajax's Conference League start is now a loss, and their next chance to respond comes in their next match after the 15 October meeting with HNK Hajduk Split vs Ajax has been played.