Tolu Arokodare continued his outstanding start to life at Ajax by scoring his fifth goal for the Amsterdam club, but his latest strike was not enough as PSV Eindhoven claimed a 3-1 victory at the Johan Cruyff ArenA.
The Nigerian striker cancelled out Ricardo Pepi’s early opener in the 23rd minute, but PSV restored their advantage through Lutsharel Geertruida shortly before half-time before Esmir Bajraktarević sealed the victory in stoppage time.
The defeat was Ajax’s first league loss of the season, while PSV maintained their unbeaten start to the 2026/27 Eredivisie campaign. Ajax’s own match report confirmed the 1-3 scoreline and Arokodare’s equaliser.
Arokodare’s 23rd-minute goal was another indication of the immediate impact he has made since arriving at Ajax.
The Nigerian forward reacted inside the penalty area to level the contest after PSV had taken the lead five minutes into the match. Ajax subsequently created opportunities to complete a comeback, but PSV regained control before the interval.
Geertruida struck in the second minute of first-half stoppage time to put the visitors 2-1 ahead.
Ajax pushed for another equaliser after the break, but PSV goalkeeper and defence held firm before Bajraktarević put the result beyond doubt with a 92nd-minute goal.
The result was particularly disappointing for Ajax because Míchel Sánchez’s side had responded strongly after conceding early and created several opportunities before PSV’s second goal. Ajax’s official report noted that Julian Brandt and Steven Berghuis both missed chances, while Davy Klaassen also failed to convert a promising opportunity.
Despite Ajax’s defeat, Arokodare remains one of the biggest positives from the club’s opening weeks of the campaign.
The 25-year-old has now scored five goals for Ajax, maintaining a remarkable scoring run since his move to Amsterdam.
W