Ajax one step away from Conference League after beating Groningen in play-off semi

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ajax/8UOvIwnb/"]Ajax[/a] were condemned to play-off football after drawing 0-0 with sc Heerenveen last weekend. The Amsterdam giants finished fifth in the Eredivisie, leaving the play-offs as their only shot at reaching European football.[/p][p]To avoid a first season without European football since the turn of the century, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/groningen/MBUGcjb9/"]FC Groningen[/a] first had to be beaten in the semifinals. Ajax were not playing at home due to a series of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/soccer-eredivisie-harry-styles-concerts-force-ajax-to-play-play-off-games-in-volendam-stadium/MgF58moB/"]10 Harry Styles concerts[/a] at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, which forced Ajax's play-off games to be moved to FC Volendam's Kras Stadion.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="082c865b-fcd7-4bfb-9825-7abc9fd9e903" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="a3aeabcf-2208-4b2d-95bc-355d31c72379" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Without the injured [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/itakura-ko/xGFA759a/"]Ko Itakura[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sutalo-josip/2aSozh6l/"]Josip Sutalo[/a] in the starting XI, Ajax thought they'd started on a high note after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/godts-mika/CIrbY1Ml/"]Mika Godts[/a] brilliantly fired the ball past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vaessen-etienne/rNBeXDEh/"]Etienne Vaessen[/a] via the crossbar. However, the Belgian starlet was caught offside, putting a strike through Ajax's opener.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/klaassen-davy/GpcTW1L2/"]Davy Klaassen[/a], who's aptly nicknamed 'Mister 1-0', eventually put the opener on the board in the 24th minute after heading in a cross from Godts.[/b][/p][p]Ajax created even more chances in the first half, likely their best in months, but failed to convert any as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/weghorst-wout/tpWMDFoL/"]Wout Weghorst[/a] had been deemed offside after finally putting the ball in the back of the net minutes before failing to convert in a one-on-one.[/p][embed guid="2c14fa04-0e51-4539-a122-d3ad0f3d58cc" url="https://x.com/ESPNnl/status/2057525895137529896?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]18-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mokio-jorthy/lQdp4JnH/"]Jorthy Mokio[/a] put more daylight between Ajax and Groningen, who failed to convince whatsoever in Volendam, by expertly half-volleying the ball past Vaessen ten minutes after half-time.[/b][/p][p]After FC Groningen also had a goal disallowed for offside, it was all done in Volendam as Ajax secured their spot in Sunday's play-off final.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ajax-8UOvIwnb/groningen-MBUGcjb9/?mid=AcuhRUx2"]Check out the full match statistics on Flashscore[/a][/b][/p]