Ajax Dominates Celtic 5-1 As Berghuis Scores Twice In Como Cup Semi-Final

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Ajax secured a place in the Como Cup final after defeating Celtic 5-1. Steven Berghuis was instrumental, scoring twice in Johnny Heitinga's fourth game as manager. Ajax will face Cesc Fabregas' Como in the final on Sunday. Despite Celtic's strong start, Berghuis opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a curling shot into the bottom-left corner.

Five minutes later, Celtic equalised through Yang Hyun-Jun after Reo Hatate set him up during a swift counter-attack. However, Ajax regained their lead shortly after halftime when Davy Klaassen reacted quickly to a rebound from Mika Godts' attempt, which Kasper Schmeichel parried. Berghuis then extended Ajax's advantage by capitalising on Benjamin Nygren's poor pass.

The Eredivisie team continued to impress despite pre-match distractions about Jorell Hato's potential move to Chelsea. Aaron Bouwman stepped into central defence and capped off his performance with a remarkable 25-yard strike that hit the crossbar before going in. Rayane Bounida added another goal seven minutes from time with a long-range effort into the bottom-left corner.

Celtic showed promise despite the scoreline, as they managed an expected goals (xG) total of 1.66 from 13 shots compared to Ajax's 1.32 from 14 attempts. The difference lay in individual quality, particularly Berghuis, whose two goals came from an xG of just 0.55. He led his team with three shots, seven touches in the opposition box, and eight final-third entries.

Berghuis' experience was evident throughout the match as he played a crucial role in securing victory for Ajax. Only Anton Gaaei completed more dribbles than Berghuis during the game. His contributions were vital in ensuring Ajax's dominance over Celtic and setting up an exciting final against Como.

The upcoming final promises to be an intriguing contest between two talented teams. With their recent performance against Celtic, Ajax will enter the match with confidence and momentum on their side.