Jordan Henderson was handed the captaincy on just his fourth appearance for Ajax - but suffered injury-time heartbreak after being on the cusp of his first win.
Former Liverpool midfielder Henderson swapped Saudi Arabia for the Netherlands in the January transfer window but has endured a miserable run of results since. On Sunday, Ajax were leading NEC Nijmegen 2-1 thanks to goals from ex- Manchester City prospect Carlos Borges and rumoured Manchester United target Brian Brobbey, only for the away side to equalise deep into added time.
In the absence of experienced winger Steven Berghuis, Henderson was given the armband by manager John van't Schip, who signed the England international for his qualities both on and off the pitch. Henderson's introduction has coincided with a dip in form for the Dutch giants, who had a nightmare to the season and currently sit fifth in the Eredivisie table after missing out on the title last term.
After winning their first three games of 2024, Van't Schip's side are now without a win in four following Sunday's last-gasp heartache. Dutch striker Brobbey gave Ajax the lead with just seven minutes on the clock before an own goal from 17-year-old left-back Jorrel Hato drew the game level.
Henderson and Co led once again when Portuguese winger Borges slotted home what he thought was the winner, assisted by Brobbey, with only 11 minutes of normal time remaining. Real Betis loanee Roberto Gonzalez had other ideas, though, scoring a 95th-minute equaliser for the visitors.
The deflating result followed Ajax's dramatic 2-2 draw in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. They pulled off a comeback of their own by scoring twice in injury time to come from 2-0 down at home to Norweigan side Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their last-16 clash.
Henderson, who picked up an injury during the closing stages against NEC but was able to continue, returned to Europe last month after half a season in the Saudi Pro League.
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With the 33-year-old hoping to be part of England's squad for the upcoming European Championships in Germany this summer, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate has admitted he's relieved that Henderson is back closer to home. "It's easier to assess someone playing in a European league," Southgate said, having travelled to Amsterdam to watch the midfielder's debut against PSV Eindhoven earlier this month.
"For Jordan, I think he'll be excited about the game the other night - a derby atmosphere, playing in a game where firstly the club are absolutely delighted to have him there. He's had a really warm welcome and been really well received, and I'm sure that will mean a lot to him.
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