Dutch champions Ajax and French champions Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League Group F campaigns by meeting at the Amsterdam ArenA tonight.
The visitors took the lead on 14 minutes when Edinson Cavani buried into an empty net from 10 yards, after a Nicolai Boilesen mistake put Ajax in trouble.
Laurent Blanc's side had a heap of chances to put the game beyond their hosts, with Lucas Moura missing the best of them, and Lasse Schone snatched Ajax a point with his 74th-minute free kick.
Read Sports Mole's live text coverage below to see how the action unfolded in Holland.
Evening, all. The Champions League came back with a bang last night, and that famous music will be blaring again in Amsterdam tonight for a week-one blockbuster between Ajax and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Dutch champions host the French champions in the opening round of Group F fixtures, with Barcelona welcoming Cypriot minnows APOEL Nicosia to the Camp Nou in the pool's other fixture.
The highlights of last night's Champions League return saw defending champions Real Madrid make a statement against Basel, but 2013-2014 beaten finalists Atletico Madrid lost to Olympiacos. Liverpool needed late Steven Gerrard intervention again to overcome Ludogorets Razgrad, while Arsenal were outclassed by Borussia Dortmund. What will tonight hold? Team news on its way imminently...
AJAX: Cillessen; Van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Boilesen; Klaassen, Viergever, Serero; Schöne, Sigthórsson, Andersen
SUBS: Boer, Van der Hoorn, Duarte, Milik, El Ghazi, Denswil, Zimling
PSG: Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, David Luiz, Maxwell; Matuidi, Thiago Motta, Verratti; Lucas, Ibrahimovic, Cavani
SUBS: Douchez, Camara, Cabaye, Bahebeck, Digne, Lavezzi, Pastore
Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns to his former stomping ground to lead the PSG line. The two clubs were bonding over their mutual love of the Swedish striker on Twitter earlier this afternoon.
Ajax posted a video of Ibra's famous individual goal against NAC Breda from his spell in Holland:
Hi @PSG_Inside! @Ibra_Official plays for you tonight, but you must admit he scored his most beautiful goal for #Ajax! http://t.co/XPA8eGT61D
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) September 17, 2014
And PSG replied with this, showing of the Swede's outrageous strike against Anderlecht in the Champions League last season. He certainly has quite a collection of goals to his name!
Hi @AFCAjax ! That's a nice goal indeed, but what do you guys think of this one ? #AJAPSG #NOLIMIT https://t.co/kYC3xJRBXu
— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) September 17, 2014
Elsewhere for the French side, Ibrahimovic is joined up front by Edinson Cavani and Lucas Moura. Thiago Silva is injured and missing from defence, but David Luiz has passed a fitness test to start.
Ajax are still without injured forward Viktor Fischer and have lost key midfielder Daley Blind to Manchester United. Dutch internationals Jasper Cillessen, Joel Veltman and Ricardo van Rhijn all start.
Blind may now be wearing Manchester United red, but he still has Ajax at heart:
Boys goodluck tonight!! #AJAPSG #AFCA #CL ❌❌❌
— Daley Blind (@BlindDaley) September 17, 2014
In the absence of Fischer, the goalscoring responsibility for the hosts will fall upon Lasse Schone and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who was very close to a move to Queens Park Rangers earlier this summer.
PSG have no problem finding the net themselves, with Ibrahimovic having scored seven goals in five appearances this season. The Swede scored 35 goals in 75 Ajax appearances from 2001 to 2004.
Cavani's arrival at Parc de Princes has only seen Zlatan improve his goalscoring record, and some reports are claiming that the Uruguayan is seeking a move away from his teammate's shadow. Premier League outfit Arsenal have today been tipped as the favourites to secure his signature.
Ajax are a club used to seeing their best players leave. They have lost Blind, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen go in recent seasons, but have crucially kept hold of manager Frank de Boer.
The former Barcelona and Ajax defender has led Ajax to the Eredivisie title over the last four seasons and it might be Champions League nights such as this one which were one of the reasons why he was keen to stay despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur over the last 12 months.
De Boer has a hard task if he is to guide Ajax into the last 16, with Barcelona and PSG heavy favourites to progress. The Dutch champions have been dealt a hard draw again, having had Barcelona and Milan last season and Real Madrid, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund the season before.
Around five minutes until kickoff now. Tonight's officials are from Germany, with Wolfgang Stark, who sent off three Anderlecht players in one game last season, the man in the middle.
PREDICTION: This is a really important game for Ajax, considering that PSG are the most likely team that they can pip to the top two. De Boer's men should be pumped for this one in front of their home crowd and I anticipate that they will battle their way to a point here. Score draw.
KICKOFF! PSG get the game underway and there is already a scare for keeper Salvatore Sirigu, who is chased down by two Ajax players and just manages to squeeze a pass away to Maxwell, who, like Ibra and Gregory van der Wiel, is returning to his former club.
Maxwell is released in acres of space down the PSG left, and stands up a cross to the far post. Zlatan gets a call to leave it to Lucas Moura, but the midfielder cannot generate much power on a header which Cillessen collects under pressure from Marco Verratti, who has just signed a new deal.
Laurent Blanc's visitors are spending plenty of time on the Ajax right and have got in behind Van Rhijn on several occasions. Their early possession has slightly dampened what was a ferocious pre-kickoff atmosphere in Amsterdam.
From PSG's first corner of the game, Thiago Motta's delivery is perfect and no Ajax defender attacks the ball. It comes through to Lucas Moura, but the Brazilian gets his body in a real tangle and the ball eventually loops over the crossbar via his thigh.
Neither of these sides have made lightning starts to their domestic title defences. PSG are currently fifth in Ligue 1, having been held to several draws, and Ajax have already lost twice.
Schone has got on the ball a couple of times for the hosts in the last few minutes. He seems to be the guy demanding the ball in an Ajax shirt and determined to make things happen.
GOAL! AJAX 0-1 PSG (EDINSON CAVANI)
PSG lead inside a quarter-of-an-hour, and it is Edinson Cavani with his fourth goal in his last five Champions League games! It's a horror show for Nicolai Boilesen, though, as Ajax's left back loses the ball to Lucas inside his own penalty area. The Brazilian pulls back for Zlatan, whose shot is brilliantly blocked by Veltman, but Cavani buries the rebound from 10 yards, with Cillessen stranded.
Van Rhijn takes his turn to get forward down the wing and his cross is into a good area. Thulani Serero makes a run from deep to try to meet it, but Van der Wiel wildly hooks clear at the last moment.
More on the goal, Boilesen went straight to the assistant referee complaining of a foul by Lucas, but there was barely any contact as the PSG winger put pressure on the Danish youngster in the box. Boilesen pretty much stumbled to ground and appeared to be trying to buy a free kick from the referee after realising that he had wasted a couple of chances to clear. It proved to be a costly error.
PSG break quickly with Lucas, who shifts the ball inside to Ibrahimovic. He passes it on once more to Cavani, who fizzes a great cross beyond the Ajax back line which is just too heavy for Lucas. The flag is raised for offside on Cavani, anyway. He really should not have been, looking across the line.
SHOT! I knew that it wouldn't be long before Ibrahimovic tried to get in on the action, and he immediately takes control of a free kick which he had won 25 yards from goal, just to the left of centre. The Swede strikes around the wall, but his low effort is straight at Cillessen.
LATEST: Just past the midway point of the first half and PSG already lead in Amsterdam. There has been plenty of goals elsewhere in the Champions League too, with Chelsea leading Schalke 04 thanks to Cesc Fabregas, Porto ahead against BATE Borisov and Roma three up on CSKA Moscow already.
Ajax register their first shot on goal following a slick passing move, but Niklas Moisander's effort does not test Sirigu. Serero had burst inside from the left and found Sigthorsson in the area, and when the striker got crowed out, he laid the ball back his captain to curl a left-footed shot wide.
BOOKING: Davy Klaassen becomes the first name jotted down in referee Stark's book for a late lunge on Motta. The German disciplinarian will not stand for tackles like that.
Moisander has a go from distance for a second time after being set up by Lucas Andersen's run and pass, but the Ajax skipper misses by the same post as minutes before with a dragged low shot.
The home side nearly get in behind the PSG defence for the first time as Schone plays in Klaassen, whose first touch is heavy and allows Marquinhos to scamper across and make a good tackle.
A clever change of direction from Zlatan in the middle of the Ajax half takes two home defenders out of play, and PSG have five men forward, but Matuidi's eventual cross is nothing but hopeful.
BLOCK! Luiz gifts Ajax the ball on the edge of the box trying to play out of defence. Klaassen tees up Schone, whose low drive may have troubled Sirigu had Marquinhos not flung himself in front of it.
Lovely vision from Ibrahimovic as he turns the ball round the corner for Matuidi first time. The Frenchman chases it down and puts in a decent cross, but no PSG player had made a near-post run.
With Cavani looking to take up central positions, there is room for Maxwell or Matuidi to get down the PSG left. The midfielder does so again, but this time Van Rhijn tracks him and slides in nicely.
HALF-TIME: AJAX 0-1 PSG
Referee Stark blows the half-time whistle bang on 45 minutes and PSG leave the field with a 1-0 lead thanks to Edinson Cavani. Manager Laurent Blanc may have wanted more after that first half...
Cavani had the simple task of converting into an empty net from 10 yards on 14 minutes, after Nicolai Boilesen's mistake. Ajax's left-back was easily, but fairly, shoved off the ball by Lucas Moura, who squared for Ibrahimovic to have a shot blocked by Veltman, and Cavani stuck the rebound in.
The French side failed to make the most of several promising situations as they dominated from the goal until the half-hour mark, but Ajax managed to get a foothold back in the game as the half came to a close and Niklas Moisander had a couple of long-range efforts which went wide. They have not tested Salvatore Sirigu yet, though, and David Luiz and company have had a comfortable night thus far.
STATS: Ajax have held their own in terms of possession, with each team having 50%, but they are yet to have a shot on target compared to PSG's three, and have only had one corner to three.
KICKOFF We are back underway and I have news of a half-time Ajax substitution...
MISS! But before that, a dreadful miss from Lucas! Ajax shoot themselves in the foot again as Moisander's heavy touch allows Lucas to pinch it from him. The Brazilian is rewarded for his good pressure with a free run at goal, but he somehow shoots wide from 10 yards, with only Cillessen to beat!
SUBSTITUTION: Confirmation of that Ajax change, with De Boer having sacrificed first-half passenger Nick Viergever for the more attack-minded presence of Niki Zimling in midfield.
CLOSE! That substitution is a sign of Ajax's intent, and Zimling immediately shows his by taking a shot on from 30 yards. PSG backed off him and his powerful drive whistled only a few yards over the bar.
CLOSE! This time it is PSG's chance to score as they pass the ball across the box, with the ball eventually reaching Ibrahimovic. The Swede is at a tricky angle 15 yards out, but has plenty of space as his right-footed shot misses the far post by a couple of feet. He may have expected to score there.
BOOKING: Free kick in a great position for PSG after Ibrahimovic cleverly spun away from Veltman 25 yards from goal. His first-half set piece was not the best, but the Swede will fancy his chances from here.
SAVE! Ibrahimovic connects sweetly, but his central effort is very well held by Cillessen.
CHANCE! Ibrahimovic picks out a wonderful first-time pass to release Lucas down the right channel. The Brazilian could knock the ball into the path of a sprinting Cavani at the back post, but instead cuts inside and shoots left-footed, forcing Cillessen to save smartly after a deflection.
LATEST: Half-an-hour to play in tonight's Champions League games, and Roma and Porto have already wrapped up the points as they lead CSKA Moscow and BATE 4-0 and 5-0 respectively. Chelsea are still ahead against Schalke, while Barcelona have made a breakthrough against APOEL. Manchester City are currently holding Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich at 0-0 at the Allianz Arena.
CHANCE! Back to matters in Amsterdam, where PSG still have a one-goal advantage which really should be two. Van der Wiel's surging run sees him get onto the end of a Verratti pass, and the right-back pokes into Cillessen's gloves when a square pass to Zlatan would have surely set up a goal.
SUBSTITUTION: News of a second Ajax change that was made a few minutes ago. Isolated striker Sigthorsson has been replaced by pacey winger Anwar El Ghazi, with Schone moving centrally.
CHANCE! Lucas delivers a delightful free kick in from over by the left touchline and Marquinhos meets it eight yards out, only to head a yard or so wide. PSG should definitely be two goals to the good by now, but a one-goal lead is never sage and Ajax are still well in this contest.
BOOKING: Teenage Champions League debutant El Ghazi enters the book five minutes after coming on, and he could easily have seen red for a stupid off-the-ball kick out on Maxwell.
BOOKING: Ajax are furious when Cavani is given what appeared to be a legitimate free kick 22 yards out. Referee Stark has his yellow card out, and the offender Klaassen was cautioned in the first half. It is Serero who is punished though for dissent, having protested the decision too forcefully.
BOOKING: A third yellow in as many minutes as Marquinhos pulls down Serero, who was looking to break into the box to get on the end of a clever flick from the bright Klaassen.
GOAL! AJAX 1-1 PSG (LASSE SCHONE)
Lasse Schone scores from the free kick to equalise for Ajax with 16 minutes remaining! The Dane's curling strike is a fair distance away from the post, but Sirigu was off balance and could only palm the ball into the side-netting inside the post. PSG's missed chances come back to haunt them!
WOODWORK! Schone nearly beats Sirigu from a free kick again, as his 30-yard drive is tipped onto the post! The Dane gets some serious movement behind a drilled shot and the PSG keeper nearly got himself into trouble again by trying to pre-empt the strike, but recovers to get enough of a hand on the ball to parry it onto the post. Marquinhos heads away the rebound as Klaassen prepared to pounce.
Boilesen dodges the needless sliding tackle of Verratti to unleash a 25-yard left-footed shot which swerves not too far high and wide of the PSG goal. Suddenly Ajax are the team chasing the winner.
Ibrahimovic releases Van der Wiel in the right channel, but his touch is heavy, not for the first time this evening, and allows Moisander to come across and tackle off the full-back for a goal kick.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Blanc responds to recent efforts with a double change, bringing on Javier Pastore and Ezequiel Lavezzi for Verratti and Lucas. Ajax boss De Boer also makes his final substitution, swapping goalscorer Shone for Arkadiusz Milik, who netted twice at the weekend.
Five minutes plus stoppage time remaining. Ajax are going for victory now, but have been open at the back all night and PSG's fresh legs and quality in attack may exploit that on the break.
Lavezzi does superbly to dribble through Boilesen and into the right side of the area. His low cross is cleared at the near post. Had he got his head up, Ibrahimovic on the edge was the better option.
Ajax have the territory at the moment, but have not managed to forge any clear-cut winning opportunities, with both Andersen and Boilesen shooting some way off target from distance.
We ar now entering TWO minutes of stoppage time. Can either side grab a winner?
FULL-TIME: AJAX 1-1 PSG
PSG will feel that they have dropped two points, with Lasse Schone's second-half free kick earning Ajax a 1-1 draw at the Amsterdam ArenA. The French champions had taken a 14th-minute lead through Edinson Cavani, and had the chances to secure victory before Schone's 74th-minute strike.
Barcelona will top Group F after the first round of fixtures, having edged past Cypriot minnows APOEL by a 1-0 scoreline. Laurent Blanc's men host Barca in Paris in their next European venture.
That's it from me tonight. Thanks for joining us this evening, and be sure to stay tuned to Sports Mole for reaction to a remarkable selection of Champions League results. Goodnight!
