Late goals from substitutes Tolu Arokodare and Abdellah Ouazane handed Ajax a dramatic 2-0 UEFA Conference League victory over Atalanta. The Amsterdammers ended an eight-game winless streak against Italian opposition as Michel's side claimed their first points of the campaign.

Late bench heroics hand Ajax first Conference League points

Ajax claimed their first three points of the UEFA Conference League phase with a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Atalanta at the Johan Cruijff Arena. Michel's side controlled much of the contest but struggled to break through, seeing Lucas Rosa hit the post and a Jorthy Mokio effort disallowed for offside.

The Dutch giants finally made their dominance count in the 87th minute when substitute Tolu Arokodare collected Youri Baas' long ball to finish coolly past Marco Carnesecchi.

Seventeen-year-old substitute Abdellah Ouazane then sealed the result in stoppage time with a magnificent individual goal.

Arokodare and Ouazane reflect on decisive substitute appearances

Speaking after his opener, Arokodare praised the team's response following recent setbacks. "We didn't play the way we wanted to over the past few weeks, drawing games or even losing," Arokodare noted. "The last two games, including this one – that’s the way we want play. We’re a top-level team with great players, and we want to show our talent."

Goalscorer Ouazane expressed delight over his solo strike while keeping his career goals in perspective. "Whenever I get the ball I want to go forwards; I’m not so interested in passing the ball backwards," Ouazane told Ziggo.

"I’m just trying to improve every day," Ouazane added. "There are plenty of players who make their mark at 17 but you don’t hear of them any more when they’re 25. I don’t want that to happen to me."

Leonardo remains positive as Sarri laments late collapse

Starting forward Marcos Leonardo expressed relief at the victory despite missing personal scoring opportunities. "There was a good energy in our team tonight," Leonardo told Ziggo. "I’m a centre forward, and I know I have to score, but unfortunately it’s not happening for me at the moment... I know the goals will come again."

From the opposing camp, Atalanta head coach Maurizio Sarri rued second-half defensive lapses after holding firm for long periods. "In the second half, we made more mistakes than in the first," Sarri acknowledged.

"The mistakes can be addressed through training... right now, I have to hold onto the fact that we delivered a truly solid performance in a difficult European match," Sarri added.

Amsterdammers end Italian hoodoo and look ahead

The victory ended Ajax's eight-match winless run against Italian clubs stretching back to April 2019, while also delivering a long-awaited home win for their supporters. "We’re happy and we’re glad that the fans enjoyed it," Arokodare reflected. "We hadn’t won at home for three or four games, so it was great that we could give them that."

Both clubs now turn their attention to Matchday 3 of the Conference League in two weeks' time.

Ajax travel to Denmark to face Midtjylland on November 5, while Atalanta host Kazakh side Kairat Almaty in Bergamo.