§ Champions League · 2025-26 · League Stage 7

Villarreal 1–2 Ajax

  • Oluwaseyi 49'
  • Gloukh 61'
  • Edvardsen 89'

20 January 2026

The match in data

Ajax got the better of Villarreal, 2–1, on 20 January 2026, in the 2025-26 Champions League (League Stage 7).

Ajax came from behind: they were trailing 1–0 at 49'.

Player of the match: Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal), rated 63, thanks above all to 1 big chance created and 2 completed dribbles. Pépé produced 1.3 times as much as a forward typically does, at 0.5 times the cost.

It was also their best match of the season.

For Ajax, the highest-rated player was Youri Regeer, with 71.

63
Player of the match

Nicolas Pépé

Villarreal · 72'

Produced 1.34× and cost 0.46× their position's average

Added
  • 1 big chance created 4.0×
  • 2 completed dribbles 2.2×
  • 3 key passes 3.0×
Took away
  • 3 balls lost 2.6×
  • 6 misplaced passes 1.3×

Match ratings

Everyone who played, sorted by rating. No rating: anyone who played under 20 minutes, and a goalkeeper who did not play the whole match.

Villarreal
PlayerPositionMinRating
Rafa Marín Defender 90 64
Nicolas Pépé ★ Forward 72 63
Alberto Moleiro Forward 46 59
Tajon Buchanan Forward 44 57
Ayoze Pérez Forward 72 56
Tani Oluwaseyi Forward 90 51
Thomas Partey Midfielder 74 49
Santiago Mouriño Defender 90 41
Sergi Cardona Defender 90 41
Renato Veiga Defender 90 39
Santi Comesaña Midfielder 90 38
Arnau Tenas Goalkeeper 90 37
Georges Mikautadze Forward 18 no rating
Gerard Moreno Forward 18 no rating
Dani Parejo Midfielder 16 no rating
Ajax
PlayerPositionMinRating
Youri Regeer Midfielder 54 71
Davy Klaassen Midfielder 90 57
Ko Itakura Defender 36 53
Vitezslav Jaros Goalkeeper 90 52
Anton Gaaei Defender 90 45
Oscar Gloukh Midfielder 84 45
Mika Godts Forward 90 44
Aaron Bouwman Defender 90 43
Kasper Dolberg Forward 71 42
Jorthy Mokio Midfielder 71 38
Youri Baas Defender 90 37
Owen Wijndal Defender 84 27
Rayane Bounida Midfielder 19 no rating
Sean Steur Midfielder 19 no rating
Kian Fitz-Jim Midfielder 6 no rating
Oliver Edvardsen Forward 6 no rating

Did you know?

La Lente trivia questions about this match. Tap one to see the answer.

Which Villarreal player recovered the most balls?

Nicolas Pépé, with 7 recoveries. Next: Rafa Marín 5, Santiago Mouriño 5.

In the 1–2 home defeat to Ajax, Nicolas Pépé led Villarreal with 7 ball recoveries. Rafa Marín and Santiago Mouriño followed with 5 each.

Which Ajax player won the most duels?

Mika Godts, with 10 duels won. Next: Youri Regeer 8, Kasper Dolberg 3.

Mika Godts dominated individual battles in Ajax's 1–2 win over Villarreal, winning 10 duels. Youri Regeer followed with 8, while Kasper Dolberg won 3.

How is the rating calculated?

The rating measures a single match: what the player produced against what they cost, compared with the average for their position in that league and season, and adjusted by position (a 70 for a forward is as hard to get as a 70 for a defender). A normal match is around 50, 70 is already very good and only one in a hundred goes above 80. It is not the NVP, which ranks the whole season.

Share this match

Villarreal 1–2 Ajax, Champions League 2025-26. Player of the match: Nicolas Pépé, 63
See the match in La Lente Line-ups on the pitch, what each player produced and cost, and the match line by line.

Data: Sportmonks. Metrics, ratings and text: La Lente by Sir Balone, edited by Juan Carlos Vasquez.