22 October 2023 , 17:20
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Ajax's clash with Utrecht was suspended twice after fans threw missiles onto the pitch as they suffered their fourth successive Eredivisie defeat on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams could not be separated at 3-3 when chaos struck as some Ajax fans chucked objects onto the playing surface as a Utrecht player was running through on goal. Referee Dennis Higler immediately stopped the match and ordered the players off the pitch with one minute of normal time remaining.
Once play eventually resumed, Utrecht found the all-important winner as Oscar Luigi Fraulo netted to spark delirium among the home supporters, while the Ajax fans were furious. In fact, the travelling supporters disrupted the match once more as Higler suspended action for the second time.
After the contest restarted again, Utrecht held out for a crucial 4-3 victory to move above Ajax into 16th, leaving Steijn's side second-bottom on five points from their seven Eredivisie matches. This is the worst start Ajax have made to a campaign, with Steijn firmly under pressure as the club's head coach.
Steijn would have been buoyed by his Ajax side as, at one point, they came from two-nil down to lead 3-2 thanks to Kristian Hlynsson's brace and Steven Bergwijn's strike. But, all that hard work was undone when Jens Toornstra equalised and Fraulo netted the decisive winner, with Ryan Flamingo and Mike van der Hoorn also netting for Utrecht.
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Speaking after his side's defeat, Steijn said: "When I enter the club, I can feel the support from the people within the club, and from my players, and from my staff. I can just feel that there is still confidence in me. We know we are in a crisis but I can only tell you that this is the feeling I get."
Ajax's game against Utrecht had to be suspended twice (Getty Images)This isn't the first time an Ajax game has had to be suspended this season. Fans expressed their discontent at the side's performance during the game against Feyenoord last month. The referee chose to stop the match after angry supporters threw flares onto the pitch, with Feyenoord leading 3-0 in the 55th minute at the time.
Rather than restarting, the final 35 minutes was played three days later at the Johan Cruyff Arena behind closed doors. Feyenoord ended up scoring a fourth goal to secure a comprehensive win over their rivals. Ajax's only win in the league so far this season came against Heracles on the opening weekend.
They are back in action when they travel to Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton in the Europa League on Thursday. Ajax drew 3-3 against Marseille in a drama-filled affair on matchday one, before being held to another draw, this time in Greece at AEK Athens before the international break.