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Juventus beats Ajax 1-0 in Group C
Marcelo Zalayeta scored in the 15th minute and Juventus beat Ajax 1-0 Tuesday for its fifth win in as many matches in the European Champions League group stage. The victory was the fifth straight 1-0 Champions League win by La Juve, which already had guaranteed its place in the next round.
Ajax was eliminated with only three points and one game remaining. It can still earn a UEFA Cup berth with a third-place finish in Group C if it finishes ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv, which also has three points. Ajax faces Bayern Munich its final game Dec. 8 while Maccabi plays Juventus.
Zalayeta, starting in place of the injured Alessandro Del Piero, scored the winner with a precise diagonal shot following a defensive blunder by Brazilian defender Maxwell. The Ajax defender was slow in his clearing attempt and lost the ball to Mauro German Camoranesi, who quickly fed his unmarked teammate deep in the area. Maxwell, however, cleared from the line a header by Juventus midfielder Emerson in the 60th minute. Ajax had a single scoring chance in the first half, a free kick by Rafael van der Vaart that goalkeeper GianLuigi Buffon thwarted with a diving save in the 27th minute. In the 67th Ryan Babel beat two Juventus defenders, but his shot went wide. After scoring, Juventus appeared to lessen its intensity with a crucial Serie A match approaching on Sunday against Inter Milan. Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a less than impressive performance against his former Ajax teammates and was replaced during the second half. Only 5,000 fans watched the match in the 68,000-seat Stadio Delle Alpi.
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