Julian Brandt's Stunning Volley in Ajax's 5-1 Victory
Julian Brandt’s volley was pure theatre. His reaction was anything but.
Ajax thrashed Fortuna Sittard 5-1 in the Eredivisie, a ruthless response after last week’s domestic setback, and it was the German playmaker who lit the fuse with a stunning opener – then barely raised an arm.
Brandt’s brilliance, muted reaction
Fortuna had already threatened. Ole Romeny forced a sharp stop from Marc ter Stegen, a reminder that Ajax’s control could still be punctured. Then, on 35 minutes, Brandt stepped in.
A dropping ball, a clean connection, and suddenly it was in. A brilliant volley, the kind that usually sends a player sprinting to the corner flag. Brandt stood still, expression tight, celebration stripped back.
He later told ESPN NL that the goal didn’t erase his irritation with himself.
“I wasn't really happy with my performance in the first half,” he admitted. Sloppy balls. Easy passes gone astray. For him, the finish wasn’t a release, it was a statement to himself. “For me, it was a moment to express my feelings instead of running around celebrating. I'm not that typical celebration guy anyway.”
Ajax turn the screw after scare
The game didn’t stay straightforward. After the break, Anthony Descotte dragged Fortuna level, punishing one of those careless moments Brandt had warned about.
For a brief spell, Ajax wobbled. They gave Fortuna oxygen with loose passes and unnecessary turnovers, allowing the hosts to grow into the match. Brandt saw it clearly: this kind of sloppiness will be punished far more brutally by better sides.
“We have moments where we have sloppy mistakes in ball possession, a little bit naive sometimes,” he said. With a squad packed with new and young players, he called it “normal” but far from acceptable. “We have to work on avoiding these small things. If you concede goals in future games, it makes everything harder.”
The response was emphatic.
Thilo Kehrer restored the lead, Davy Klaassen added another, Kasper Dolberg joined the party, and Youri Baas rounded off the scoring. Once Ajax sensed weakness around the box, they tore through Fortuna with clinical edge, the “door-opening” goal Brandt spoke about turning into a flood.
A warning wrapped in a statement win
The scoreline looked comfortable. The performance told a more nuanced story.
Ajax showed they can smell danger in the final third and kill a game. They also showed the fragility that still lingers in their buildup, the kind of lapses Brandt knows can turn a routine league match into a crisis night in Europe.
Yet amid the self-critique, there was a clear positive for Ajax: Brandt himself is finally at full tilt.
Brandt at full throttle
The 30-year-old missed parts of pre-season and spent the opening weeks chasing sharpness. Now, he insists, that chase is over.
“I'm at 100% now,” he said. He pointed to his physical data from recent matches, including the outing against PEC Zwolle – sprints, velocity, all the metrics that matter to modern midfielders – as proof that his engine is back to maximum.
“My physical data, like sprints and velocity, was really good. I'm ready for the busy week in front of us and hungry for more.”
A playmaker scoring volleys, unhappy with himself after a 5-1 win, and openly demanding higher standards from a young dressing room. If this is Brandt at 100%, how far can this Ajax side go once the sloppiness disappears?
