pec zwolle vs ajax: Míchel starts with 0-2 away win
Ajax opened the 2026/27 Eredivisie season with a 0-2 win away to PEC Zwolle on Sunday, August 9, 2026. Substitutes Jorthy Mokio and Julian Brandt scored late…
ZWOLLE — pec zwolle vs ajax opened Ajax’s 2026/27 Eredivisie campaign with a 0-2 away win at the MAC³PARK Stadion on Sunday, August 9, 2026. It was also the official league debut of new Ajax head coach Míchel, who began his spell with three points on the road.
The result came late. Jorthy Mokio and Julian Brandt scored after both came off the bench, and Ajax left Zwolle with a clean sheet. Marc ter Stegen made his first start for the club and produced a key save to keep the match level before Ajax took control.
Late changes decide pec zwolle vs ajax
Míchel did not hide his view of the performance. "This was not our best performance today," he said after the match in Zwolle. "Perhaps the situation surrounding Mika Godts distracted us a little," he added.
He also said Ajax were not convincing for long stretches. "We did not play convincingly. It was not a pretty match, but we created enough chances to win. The red card helped us, because PEC Zwolle could no longer press high," Míchel said.
That red card changed the rhythm. Ajax found more room late on, and Míchel pointed to his substitutes as the turning point. "I think the substitutions made the difference today, especially Tolu, who delivered an extraordinary performance," he said.
The coach was particularly pleased with the impact of the striker who arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers. "I am very happy for him, because he needs to build up rhythm, but his first minutes were very, very good. He made the decisive action for the first goal, so he made the difference - together with the other substitutes," Míchel said.
Ter Stegen’s first start matters
Ter Stegen also stood out in his first appearance from the start. Míchel singled out the goalkeeper after a strong stop from Tobias Sommer’s header. "Yes, I'm happy he was in there, because he had to help us a lot. He made a great save," he said.
The German goalkeeper has only just arrived after Ajax officially announced him this week on a season-long loan from Barcelona. Míchel said the save mattered because it kept Ajax in the game before the late breakthrough.
PEC Zwolle will feel the loss harder because the match began at home, where they have relied heavily on results in the past. According to the source material, 28 of their 37 points last season came at the MAC³PARK Stadion, which underlines why home games remain so important for the Zwolle side.
Ajax, meanwhile, took an early step toward repairing last season’s fifth-place finish. The historical record also stayed in their favor, with Ajax winning 22 of the previous 30 meetings and avoiding defeat in their last six visits to Zwolle.
For Míchel, the most immediate proof of progress came from the bench, the clean sheet, and a first league win in charge. The next test will come with the same question still hanging over Ajax: how quickly can the new coach turn flashes into control.
