Ajax managed to produce one of the biggest shocks of the season on Tuesday night, beating Juventus 2-1 at the Allianz Stadium, hence beating one of the favourites to win the competition.
The Dutch team managed to end their 22-year wait for a UEFA Champions League semi-final, as they beat the very team that had knocked them out of their last one, way back in 1997, Juventus.
Whilst Juventus got on the front foot in the first half, after the notorious Cristiano Ronaldo headed in from a corner on the 28th minute, Ajax quickly got back in it, after a lucky ricochet fell right to Donny van de Beek, who slotted the ball as cool as ever in the back of the net in the 34th minute. Throughout the match, Ajax were clearly the better side, constantly attacking, and showing no signs of going down without a fight, and in the second half, they got their reward. Midway through the second half, a ball in from Lasse Schone was met wonderfully by none other than the Ajax captain, Matthijs de Ligt.
Juventus were left chasing the ball after the goal, with the Italians needing two goals to progress. However, they could not manage such a feat, with the full-time whistle being met with numerous celebrations from the Dutch fans in the stadium, along with the players who could not contain their emotions.
The team has been extremely underrated this season, with many thinking that they would be immediately knocked out of the competition when they came up against Real Madrid in the Round of 16, despite them finishing the group stages unbeaten. They were once again doubted against Juventus, and they shook the world as their brilliant, fearless attacking play left football fans in utter disbelief.
To make matters even more impressive, Ajax's squad has an average age of just 24. Yes, 24. To add to that, they are being captained by Matthijs de Ligt, a 19-year-old central defender that made his first-team debut just two seasons ago.
After the win, de Ligt stayed composed during the interview, yet from the inside he could not contain himself, saying "I can't describe what kind of emotion we have at the moment."
He remarked that many doubted them, simply because they are a club that does not play in Europe's 'Top five' leagues, saying that "It's unbelievable what we achieved, we are a squad from the Netherlands and we showed the world what we can do."
De Ligt however is still not fully satisfied with reaching the semi-finals, saying in an interview after the match that, "we are never satisfied and the next game is also going to be important, we'll see what happens."
In his post-match press conference, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri praised the Dutch side for their wonderful effort and energy, saying that "Ajax clearly deserved the victory, especially in the second half."
Ajax's next opponents in the UEFA Champions League will be either Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur, with that tie being decided on Wednesday night.
