After the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals ended, the media and fans around the world were stunned.
Juventus vowed to exact revenge and turn the tie around back in Italy, while Ajax remained as low-key as ever.
Back in the Dutch First Division, Yang Yang rotated ten players at once, with only goalkeeper Onana retaining his starting place. Even so, Ajax thrashed visiting Rotterdam Elite 7–1 at home.
The two Norwegian prodigies orchestrated five goals. Haaland scored a hat-trick and provided an assist, while Ødegaard scored a brace and added an assist of his own. Other players, including Malen, Stengs, and Rosario, also performed well.
Despite the emphatic 7–1 victory, the match meant little to Ajax, who had already secured the title. It was more about entertaining the fans in attendance and assessing the players' performances.
In the thirty-second round of Serie A, played at the same time as Ajax's match, Juventus visited SPAL. Although Little Keane put Juventus ahead in the first half, they conceded twice after the break and lost 2–1 away.
But everyone could see that Allegri had rotated his squad heavily for this match. Players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Dybala did not feature, clearly conserving their energy for the Champions League.
To make matters worse, center-forward Mandzukic had been injured after the match against Ajax and was certain to miss the second leg. Ajax had also lost Tagliafico to injury.
Both teams had players sidelined by injuries, which only heightened anticipation for the second leg.
Everyone wanted to see whether Yang Yang could spring another surprise away from home, just as he had in the first leg.
On the evening of April 16, the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals arrived.
After their ninety-minute contest in the first leg, both teams