AROKODARE REVEALS WHY HE CLASHED WITH AJAX COACH DURING 6-1 WIN
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
Super Eagles forward, Tolu Arokodare, has shed light on his touchline exchange with Ajax head coach, Míchel Sánchez, during the Dutch club’s 6-1 victory over FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.
The 25-year-old striker scored twice as Ajax secured an emphatic away win in Denmark during the league phase of the competition.
Arokodare opened the scoring in the ninth minute before fellow Nigerian, Friday Etim, equalised for Midtjylland in the 28th minute. The former Genk forward restored Ajax’s lead seven minutes into the second half, converting a move set up by Abdellah Ouazane.
Owen Wijndal, Davy Klaassen, Oscar Gloukh and substitute Marcos Leonardo added four more goals to complete the dominant victory.
The brace took Arokodare’s goal tally to 12 in 16 appearances for Ajax this season, with six goals in the Eredivisie and six in the Conference League and its qualifying rounds. He has also registered four assists.
However, the striker attracted attention in the first half when he was seen exchanging animated gestures with Sánchez near the touchline as the pair attempted to communicate.
Speaking to reporter Noa Vahle after the match, Arokodare explained that the coach wanted him to focus more on exploiting available spaces rather than concentrating on the opposing defender.
“He tried to tell me that I shouldn’t focus too much on the defender and that I should run into the spaces more. From a distance, I didn’t understand what he meant, so I had to come over to him to ask him to explain it better. And he did, so yeah,” he said.
Describing his relationship with the coach, the Nigerian added, “He is a very funny man. You (the media) can’t understand the relationship we have.”
Arokodare also expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, describing the result as a significant morale booster ahead of their next fixture.
“I always try to score. I received good passes from my teammates. I am happy that I was able to score, that we scored six goals, and that various players recorded goals and assists. Victories like this are great for the team. It is a big victory to take into the next match. The next match won’t be easy,” he added.
Ajax will now shift their focus to Sunday’s Eredivisie encounter against FC Twente.
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