48 hours in Amsterdam – a photo essay of Ajax v Brighton
When the draw for the Europa League was made, Ajax away was the one game the majority of Brighton fans had down as must visit. And Amsterdam did not disappoint in any way, shape or form.
The bicycles. The cobbled streets. The canals. The boats. The bars. The coffee shops. And of course, the Red Light District. Albion fans permeated every corner of this historic city before and after what proved to be a historic evening of football.
Dam Square in particular was a sea of blue and white in the hours leading up to kick off at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Not even the rain which started up again on Thursday afternoon following a brief respite in the morning could dampen spirits.
Just under 3,000 Brighton supporters had tickets in the away end. Hundreds more had managed to infiltrate the home areas. Potentially thousands were watching in the pubs and bars of Amsterdam having travelled just for the experience.
And what an experience it was. The roof inside the stadium was shut, leading to an electric atmosphere. The Albion soon quietened the home support when Simon Adingra played in Ansu Fati to give Brighton the lead with 15 minutes played.
James Milner and Lewis Dunk both limped off injured before half time. Pervis Estupinan was to follow midway through the second half. But nothing could stop the Seagulls in their quest for a first ever European away win.
The Adingra and Fati combination came to the fore again 10 minutes after the restart. This time, Fati teed up Adingra to double the advantage.
Ajax came on strong towards the end and were unlucky not to score when a shot hit one post, rolled across the line and hit the other before Joel Veltman was able to clear.
Brighton though deserved their 2-0 victory over Ajax. A 30 minute lock in could not dampen spirits afterwards and then it was back on the metro to Amsterdam city centre, where the party went on long into the morning.
What a trip. Here it is captured in all its glory by Martin Denyer.
