By Dorcas Francis Koji
Tolu Arokodare continued his impressive start to life at Ajax with another goal on Saturday, but his effort was not enough as the Dutch giants suffered a 3-1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
The Nigerian striker, who is on loan at Ajax from Wolverhampton Wanderers, found the net for the fifth time this season as he extended his scoring streak to four consecutive matches for the Amsterdam club.
PSV made a flying start at the Johan Cruijff Arena, taking the lead inside the opening four minutes.
Ivan Perisic delivered a deep cross that Ruben van Bommel headed across goal, allowing Ricardo Pepi to react quickly and nod the ball home from close range.
The early goal continued PSV’s impressive record of scoring within the opening 10 minutes in their last three Eredivisie meetings.
Ajax responded strongly, with Arokodare restoring parity in the 23rd minute.
The Nigerian forward produced a composed low finish that bounced in off the far corner, giving Ajax renewed hope and further underlining his growing influence since arriving in the Netherlands.
However, PSV regained the advantage just before the interval.
With virtually the final kick of the first half, Lutsharel Geertruida marked his PSV debut in spectacular fashion, volleying home from a corner to put the visitors 2-1 ahead.
Ajax pushed for an equaliser after the restart and created several opportunities, but they were unable to break down the PSV defence.
Despite registering 19 attempts compared with PSV’s 13, Ajax could not find another goal, while goalkeeper Matej Kovar was called upon to make five saves to keep the hosts from mounting a comeback.
PSV eventually sealed the victory in the second minute of stoppage time when Esmir Bajraktarevic produced a low finish into the far corner to make it 3-1.
The defeat leaves Ajax without a victory in their last five Eredivisie home matches and six points behind PSV in the league standings, although they have a game in hand.
For Arokodare, however, his individual form continues to attract attention.
The 25-year-old last represented Nigeria in November 2025 during the Super Eagles’ 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off against DR Congo. He was subsequently left out of Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
His recent scoring form could now strengthen his argument for a return to the national team, with Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle facing decisions over his attacking options.
With five goals already this season and goals in four successive matches for Ajax, Arokodare is making a strong case that he deserves another opportunity to wear the green and white of Nigeria.
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