Julian Brandt's Subdued Celebration in Ajax's 5-1 Win
Julian Brandt ripped a volley into the net, Ajax hit five away from home, and yet the man who lit the fuse barely raised an arm.
In a ruthless 5-1 win over Fortuna Sittard, the German playmaker set the tone on 35 minutes, punishing the hosts just moments after Marc ter Stegen had kept Ajax level with a sharp stop from Ole Romeny. One save at one end, one stunning finish at the other. The game’s mood flipped in seconds.
Brandt drifted into the box, the ball sat up, and he met it cleanly, lashing a brilliant volley beyond the Fortuna goalkeeper to put Ajax in front and settle early nerves after last week’s domestic setback. It was the kind of strike players replay in their heads for days.
He barely smiled.
Brandt’s muted moment
While his teammates rushed to congratulate him, Brandt’s reaction was strikingly subdued. No sliding knee, no roar to the away end. Just a brief acknowledgement, then straight back to halfway.
Speaking to ESPN NL after the match, the 30-year-old laid it out bluntly: the goal didn’t erase his frustration.
"I wasn't really happy with my performance in the first half," Brandt said. "I had some sloppy balls and easy passes that I wasn't happy with. For me, it was a moment to express my feelings instead of running around celebrating. I'm not that typical celebration guy anyway."
Even in a game that ended in a rout, he couldn’t shake the annoyance of those early giveaways. The volley felt more like a release than a reason to revel.
Ajax cut loose after scare
Fortuna Sittard did not fold immediately. Anthony Descotte hauled them level after the break, punishing Ajax for one of the very lapses Brandt would later highlight. For a brief spell, the home side grew in belief, feeding off loose touches and cheap turnovers.
Ajax responded with something bordering on anger.
Thilo Kehrer restored the lead, Davy Klaassen added another, and Kasper Dolberg joined the party as the visitors turned a potentially awkward afternoon into a statement win. Youri Baas then stepped in to round off the scoring, sealing a dominant 5-1 scoreline that felt like a pointed reply to criticism after their defeat the previous week.
The pressure finally told on Fortuna as Ajax began to move the ball with more purpose, smelling danger around the box and striking with a clinical edge.
Brandt saw both sides of it.
"We have moments where we have sloppy mistakes in ball possession, a little bit naive sometimes," he admitted. "It's normal with a lot of new, young players, but we have to work on avoiding these small things. If you concede goals in future games, it makes everything harder."
The warning was clear: Eredivisie rivals with sharper attacks will not be as forgiving as Fortuna.
Demands rise as fitness peaks
If Brandt sounded demanding, it’s because he feels ready to raise the bar again.
After missing parts of pre-season, the midfielder has been playing catch-up. Now, he insists, that phase is over. He pointed to his physical data from recent matches, including the outing against PEC Zwolle, as proof that his speed and intensity are back where they should be.
"I'm at 100% now," he said. "My physical data, like sprints and velocity, was really good. I'm ready for the busy week in front of us and hungry for more."
That hunger came through more in his criticism than in his celebration. On a day when Ajax hit five and their creator-in-chief produced the standout goal, Brandt left the pitch talking about sloppiness, naivety, and the need to tighten up.
Ajax have their response to last week’s defeat. The scoreline says emphatic. Brandt’s tone suggests the real test starts now.
