# 2018–19 AFC Ajax season
The 2018–19 [AFC Ajax](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-ajax) season was the Amsterdam club's 2018–19 campaign in the [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie), the [KNVB Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/knvb-cup), and the UEFA Champions League, in which Ajax won both domestic trophies and reached the Champions League semi-finals under head coach Erik ten Hag before losing to Tottenham Hotspur on a stoppage-time goal.[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) • [2](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Erik ten Hag, appointed before the season[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) |
| Eredivisie | Champions, a record-extending 34th title and the first in five years, sealed with a 4-1 win at De Graafschap; finished three points clear of PSV[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) |
| KNVB Cup | Won on 5 May 2019 with a 4-0 win over Willem II, the club's 19th Dutch Cup[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) • [3](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf) |
| Champions League | Reached the semi-finals after beating Real Madrid and Juventus; eliminated in the 96th minute of the second leg against Tottenham under the away goal rule[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) • [2](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) |
| Overall record | 58 matches, 44 wins, 8 draws, 6 losses, 179 goals scored and 53 conceded[4](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ajax-amsterdam/spielplan/verein/610/saison_id/2018) |
| Finances | Revenue of €199.5 million, net result of €51.9 million, and a transfer result of €72.6 million[3](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf) |
## Domestic double
Ajax won their first Eredivisie title in five years with a 4-1 away win over De Graafschap Doetinchem on the final day, lifting the trophy for a record-extending 34th time. The title had effectively been decided the previous Sunday, when Ajax beat [FC Utrecht](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-utrecht) 4-1 while the only challengers, holders [PSV Eindhoven](https://www.edgepedia.org/psv-eindhoven), lost 1-0 at [AZ Alkmaar](https://www.edgepedia.org/az-alkmaar); Ajax finished three points clear.[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) The club's own annual report records the season as bringing the 34th league title and the 19th Toto KNVB Beker.[3](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf)
On 5 May, Ajax claimed the Dutch Cup by beating [Willem II Tilburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/willem-ii-tilburg) 4-0, completing the double.[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) The club's history page records the 2018/2019 season as one in which Ajax won both the domestic cup and the 34th league title.[2](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
## Champions League run
Ajax entered the competition through the qualifying rounds before reaching the group stage.[5](https://peterzwetsloot.nl/pdfdocs/aba-today/2019-03-de-dubbel.pdf) Their opening group match, on 19 September 2018, was a 3-0 home win over AEK Athens in Group E.[6](https://www.afc-ajax.info/en/season-competition/2018-19/champions-league) Going into the group decider against Bayern Munich, Ajax were unbeaten in Europe in 2018/19, a run of 11 matches.[7](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/024c-0e994546c830-a5f62f26870b-1000--ajax-v-bayern-facts/) Across their six group games Ajax scored 11 goals.[8](https://theanalyst.com/articles/celebrating-the-champions-league-minnows)
**Real Madrid.** In the round of 16 Ajax lost the first leg at home 1-2 and then won the return in Madrid 1-4, eliminating the reigning holders of the era's dominant side.[9](https://as.com/futbol/champions/a-evitar-lo-nunca-visto-n/) Until that evening, a defeat in the opening match on home soil had been overturned on only six occasions across the European Cup's 64-year history, and Ajax itself accounted for two of those comebacks.[10](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/real-madrid-ajax-result-score-goals-uefa-champions-league-fixtures-quarter-finals-video-a8810326.html) In the Amsterdam first leg, 19-year-old [Matthijs de Ligt](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthijs-de-ligt) captained the side, becoming the youngest player to captain a team in the knockout stages of the Champions League.[11](https://khelnow.com/football/uefa-champions-league-2018-19-ajax-real-madrid-tactical-analysis)
**Juventus and the semi-final.** Ajax then beat Juventus to reach the semi-finals, the club's first at this stage since 1997.[2](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish) • [12](https://themastermindsite.com/2021/04/05/erik-ten-hag-ajax-tactical-analysis/) In the first leg at [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham), Ajax took up a defensive line approximately ten meters beyond the edge of their own box, a set-up UEFA's technical report highlighted as a notable example of that tactic.[13](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Publications/uefaorg/General/02/61/96/22/2619622_DOWNLOAD.pdf) Leading 2-0 in the second leg in Amsterdam, Ajax were caught by a Tottenham comeback: [Lucas Moura](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-moura)'s quick-fire double after the break put the tie back in the balance, and the Londoners won 3-2.[14](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ranked-the-25-best-champions-league-games-of-all-time) The decisive goal came in the 96th minute, sending Tottenham through under the away goal rule and ending Ajax's European run seconds short of the final.[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) • [3](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf) Lucas Moura scored all three Tottenham goals, including the decisive stoppage-time winner; former Ajax defender [Toby Alderweireld](https://www.edgepedia.org/toby-alderweireld) described eliminating his former club as a strange feeling and said he would always be grateful to Ajax.[15](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/to-kill-the-dream-of-my-former-club-was-a-strange-feeling-ill-always-be-grateful-to-ajax-but-football-is-like-that-toby-alderweireld-on-tottenham-hotspurs-incredible-champions-league-semi-final-win-in-2019) • [17](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0251-0e9ce1f530f2-d243cb498094-1000/)
## Team and tactics
The side combined young players with a few experienced ones. [André Onana](https://www.edgepedia.org/andre-onana) started in goal, with de Ligt as captain alongside the veteran [Daley Blind](https://www.edgepedia.org/daley-blind), whose father had won a Champions League with Ajax; [Dušan Tadić](https://www.edgepedia.org/dusan-tadic) played the furthest forward.[11](https://khelnow.com/football/uefa-champions-league-2018-19-ajax-real-madrid-tactical-analysis) In the semi-final against Tottenham, Tadić dropped back like a false nine while Donny van de Beek made runs from between the lines into the space he opened, with the two constantly changing positions.[16](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/match-analysis/uefa-champions-league-2018-19-tottenham-vs-ajax-tactical-analysis-analysis) The annual report singled out de Ligt as "the golden boy", Frenkie de Jong as "the gifted", and Tadić as "the machine" in its player profiles.[3](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf)
## Finances and aftermath
The season was also a commercial one. AFC Ajax NV reported revenue of €199.5 million, a net result of €51.9 million, a transfer result of €72.6 million, football-related European tournament income of €95.3 million, and an average league attendance of 52,300; the squad played 58 matches in total.[3](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf) • [4](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ajax-amsterdam/spielplan/verein/610/saison_id/2018)
The run drew international praise for the youthful side's attacking game, and immediately raised the prospect of a talent drain. [Frenkie de Jong](https://www.edgepedia.org/frenkie-de-jong) was set to join Barcelona on 1 July, and technical director Marc Overmars had already signed replacements including Răzvan Gabriel Marin from Standard Liège and Kik Pierie from SC Heerenveen.[1](https://www.knvb.com/node/916) The club's history page records that the team under ten Hag narrowly missed the final, which was played in Madrid.[2](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
## References
1. [Ajax seal Eredivisie title to complete double, KNVB](https://www.knvb.com/node/916)
2. [125 Years of Ajax: White-red-white history from start to finish, AFC Ajax](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/125-years-of-ajax-white-red-white-history-from-start-to-finish)
3. [AFC Ajax NV Jaarverslag 2018-2019](https://www.ajax.nl/media/je3j5swn/30-09-2019-ajax-jaarverslag-2018-2019-def.pdf)
4. [Ajax Amsterdam schedule and record 18/19, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ajax-amsterdam/spielplan/verein/610/saison_id/2018)
5. [De Dubbel: Ajax landskampioen, bekerwinnaar en halve finalist, 2018-19](https://peterzwetsloot.nl/pdfdocs/aba-today/2019-03-de-dubbel.pdf)
6. [2018-19 Champions League, AFC-Ajax.info](https://www.afc-ajax.info/en/season-competition/2018-19/champions-league)
7. [Ajax v Bayern facts, UEFA Champions League 2018/19, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/024c-0e994546c830-a5f62f26870b-1000--ajax-v-bayern-facts/)
8. [Small Fish, Big Pond: Celebrating the Champions League Minnows, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/celebrating-the-champions-league-minnows)
9. [A evitar lo nunca visto, AS](https://as.com/futbol/champions/a-evitar-lo-nunca-visto-n/)
10. [Real Madrid vs Ajax: Dutch made impossible, possible, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/real-madrid-ajax-result-score-goals-uefa-champions-league-fixtures-quarter-finals-video-a8810326.html)
11. [Tactical Analysis: Lack of efficiency in front of goal haunts Ajax in Amsterdam, Khel Now](https://khelnow.com/football/uefa-champions-league-2018-19-ajax-real-madrid-tactical-analysis)
12. [Erik ten Hag – Ajax – Tactical Analysis, The Mastermind Site](https://themastermindsite.com/2021/04/05/erik-ten-hag-ajax-tactical-analysis/)
13. [2018/19 UEFA Champions League technical report, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Publications/uefaorg/General/02/61/96/22/2619622_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
14. [Ranked! The 25 best Champions League games of all time, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ranked-the-25-best-champions-league-games-of-all-time)
15. [Toby Alderweireld on Tottenham Hotspur's incredible Champions League semi-final win in 2019, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/to-kill-the-dream-of-my-former-club-was-a-strange-feeling-ill-always-be-grateful-to-ajax-but-football-is-like-that-toby-alderweireld-on-tottenham-hotspurs-incredible-champions-league-semi-final-win-in-2019)
16. [Champions League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Tottenham vs Ajax, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/match-analysis/uefa-champions-league-2018-19-tottenham-vs-ajax-tactical-analysis-analysis)
17. [uefa.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0251-0e9ce1f530f2-d243cb498094-1000/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Seasons and editions › Club seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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