‘Somebody destroyed our game’: Ajax star Dusan Tadic slams referee who ‘stole’ their victory at Chelsea, sending off two of the visitors in madcap 4-4 thriller
- Ajax were 4-1 up before Chelsea produced a stunning comeback to draw 4-4
- At 4-2, Ajax conceded a penalty and had two players sent off with 22 minutes left
- Jorginho converted the pen before Reece James scored a 78th minute equaliser
- Dusan Tadic has blamed referee Gianluca Rocchi for ‘stealing’ victory from Ajax
Dusan Tadic has hit out at referee Gianluca Rocchi for ‘stealing’ victory from Ajax following their 4-4 draw with Chelsea in the Champions League.
Ajax were leading 4-2 at Stamford Bridge before conceding a penalty after Rocchi adjudged Joel Veltman to have handled the ball inside the box.
As Ajax players protested the decision, Veltman was shown a second yellow card and Daley Blind was also given a second yellow for a foul on Tammy Abraham in the build up to the handball.
Dusan Tadic has accused referee Gianluca Rocchi of ‘stealing’ victory from Ajax at Chelsea
At 4-2, Rocchi gave Chelsea a penalty and sent off two Ajax players before game ended 4-4
Tadic says Rocchi ‘destroyed our game’ after Ajax drew a game they appeared certain to win
Jorginho converted the penalty from the spot and and Reece James then scored the equaliser on 74 minutes as Chelsea completed a stunning comeback.
After the game, Tadic vented his fury at Rocchi, who he blamed entirely for changing the course of the game and denying his side a certain win.
‘We should just talk about our game because we were 4-1 up and everything was under control and then one man steal everything from us,’ he said.
Tadic says Ajax should’ve been awarded a free-kick prior to conceding a penalty
Tadic says Rocchi’s decision not to award Ajax a free-kick led to spiral of events
The midfielder added that Rocchi was solely responsible for Ajax surrendering their 4-2 lead
‘It’s a big disappointment. We should talk about how Ajax played nice football but we cannot because one man came and stole everything
‘We saw the situation. It’s a foul on Daley Blind. Then it’s not a second yellow for Daley Blind. Then it’s not a second yellow for Joel Veltman. Then it’s not a penalty.
‘Never in my life have I seen a triple punishment. But everything started with the foul on Daley Blind. He was tackled by Christian Pulisic but then, yeah, it’s a big disappointment because I don’t like to make excuses.
‘I don’t like to talk about someone else. I want to talk about how Ajax were better than Chelsea but we can’t because somebody destroyed our game.’
Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic was also left amazed by how events unfolded at Stamford Bridge and revealed he hadn’t realised Ajax had two players sent off.
‘[The penalty] made the game even wilder and gave us more confidence to get those next two goals’, Pulisic admitted afterward.
‘The whole thing was crazy, I didn’t even realise they got two red cards to be honest.
‘It was pretty wild.’
The result leaves Ajax, Chelsea and Valencia level on seven points in Group H with two games remaining.