Ajax put one foot in the final of the Champions League with a 1-0 semi-final first-leg victory over toothless Tottenham
Slicker and sharper than their hosts, Ajax's crop of talented youngsters pinned Spurs back during an utterly dominant opening 30 minutes with Donny van de Beek (15) scoring a priceless away goal
Spurs looked short on confidence and quality in the final third without the suspended Heung-Min Son as they failed to test Andre Onana with any meaningful attempts, with just one of those hitting the target
 Mauricio Pochettino's men have now scored just once in their last four matches in all competitions as Harry Kane's absence starts to become very apparent
Jan Vertonghen had to be helped from the field just before the break after suffering a nasty gash to his nose
 He received treatment on the field before attempting to play on, but moments later signalled he could no longer continue and was steadied by Pochettino before being guided down the tunnel by medical officials
Ajax winger David Neres almost put the tie beyond Spurs but his low strike bounced back off the post to keep Tottenham's hopes alive ahead of the return leg
The result was another impressive away victory for Erik ten Hag's side, who are now nine games unbeaten in this season's competition, with wins at Real Madrid, Juventus and Spurs to savour
Both sets of players were welcomed to the pitch by a message across the South Stand that read, 'To Dare is To Do'
 Only only one team heeded that advice and it was the visitors
Spurs stood off, with a ploy of playing on the counter, but Ajax's midfield drove their team forward and got their reward on 15 minutes
 A one-touch move sliced through the Spurs defence with Van de Beek the man on the end of the final ball
 Kieran Trippier was keeping the Ajax star onside and he calmly finished past Hugo Lloris from 10 yards out
Van de Beek tried to add another to his tally on the half-hour but decided to test Lloris from a tight angle instead of squaring to Dusan Tadic and his effort was dealt with by Lloris
Vertonghen had to be helped from the field just before the break due to the injury to his nose, which allowed Pochettino to bring on Moussa Sissoko and switch to a 4-4-2 formation
 The Frenchman's introduction lifted Spurs, who settled into a better rhythm with Dele Alli testing Onana from 20 yards
Ajax did not have things their own way as the game ticked on but Spurs were careless in the final third
Despite their clear satisfaction with a 1-0 lead, the Dutch side almost doubled their advantage with 14 minutes remaining when Neres fired a low strike which cannoned back off the post
Only one of the 17 previous teams to lose the first leg at home in a European Cup/Champions League semi-final tie has progressed into the final
 Spurs are still in the tie but a huge improvement is required
Pochettino gave a positive update on Vertonghen's condition - and insisted the club's medical staff had followed protocol
"I wasn't involved
 It was the doctor's decision
 I think it's so important, the rules and the protocol
 Our medical staff follow the protocol
"Manchester United will be looking on enviously at this performance
 The Ajax defender was near-faultless at the heart of the Ajax back-line, making a game-high eight clearances and four interceptions as Fernando Llorente and Lucas Moura were completely outplayed by Blind
 In a side full of such youthful exuberance, Blind's experience is playing a key role in Ajax's remarkable run
: "We didn't create many chances
 We arrived in the last third but didn't find a way to create chances
 I think we felt though that we can be in the tie in that second half
 We took more risks
 It gave us the hope that the second leg is going to be tough for us and them
 Today wasn't our best game and we cannot start the game like this
": "We have to give credit to Ajax
 They came out of the blocks in the first half
 They're young, energetic, exciting - lots of pace and movement
 Their passing was on point and they really opened up Tottenham
 Sissoko came on because Vertonghen was injured but it kick-started Spurs
 He gave them some drive in midfield and they finished the stronger side
 Spurs have been down several times in this competition - it's all to play for
": "What would Pochettino have learned? Not to play 3-5-2 against Ajax
 As soon as they changed to a diamond, they pressed Ajax higher up the pitch
 Being 1-0 down is difficult - Ajax have some incredible young players - but Pochettino will have learned some tactical lessons
 And having Son back will be huge because Ajax leave big spaces in behind
"Spurs are back in action on Saturday lunchtime against Bournemouth, live on , as attention turns back to the race for a top-four spot in the Premier League
 Ajax will have eight days off now to prepare for the second leg in Amsterdam
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