ROTTERDAM — Striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored twice as Ajax Amsterdam lifted the KNVB Cup with an emphatic 4-0 win over Willem II Tilburg on Sunday to keep alive their chances of lifting three trophies this season.
The 35-year-old Huntelaar scored either side of halftime for the Dutch giants after Daley Blind had given them the lead.
Blind and Huntelaar netted within 60 seconds of each other some 10 minutes before the break with Huntelaar then making it 3-0 from close range in the 67th minute.
Fullback Rasmus Kristensen added a fourth with 14 minutes left to emphasize Ajax’s dominance as they won the cup for a record-extending 19th time.
The result would have come as a huge confidence boost for Ajax ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Ajax lead 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London.
Ajax are also in pole position to win the Dutch league for the first time since 2014 as they lead PSV Eindhoven on goal difference with two rounds left to play.
Leverkusen routs Frankfurt 6-1
to keep top-four hopes alive
Bayer Leverkusen boosted their chances of a top-four finish in the Bundesliga and a place in next season's Champions League after scoring six first-half goals for a breathtaking 6-1 home win over direct rivals Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
The result left Frankfurt fourth on 54 points with two games to play, ahead of fifth-placed Leverkusen on goal difference. Sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach and Wolfsburg in seventh are a further two points adrift.
Frankfurt, looking bereft of energy after Thursday's 1-1 home draw with Chelsea in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, were totally overrun in the opening period and lucky not to concede more than six in an astonishing first half.
Leverkusen's Lucas Alario struck twice and Kai Havertz, Julian Brandt and Charles Aranguiz also netted before Martin Hinteregger's own goal completed the scoring after 36 minutes, with Ante Rebic having pulled one back for Frankfurt.
St Etienne snatches 3-2
comeback win at Monaco
St Etienne came from behind to beat Monaco 3-2 in Ligue 1 at the Stade Louis II on Sunday, keeping alive their slim hopes of Champions League qualification.
Monaco took the lead inside 20 minutes when forward Gelson Martins brought down a long pass from Jemerson with a superb first touch before firing the ball past Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.
Despite dominating possession, Etienne struggled to create chances but eventually found a way back into the contest when Monaco full back Fode Ballo-Toure's mishit clearance found his own goal.
Winger Remy Cabella struck from close range to give the visitors a 2-1 lead before assisting Arnaud Nordin's 80th minute header to put the result beyond doubt.
Substitute Carlos Vinicius pulled one back for Monaco but could not prevent their ninth home defeat of the league season.
Monaco, who are without a league win since March, are now just three points clear of the relegation zone, while St Etienne provisionally move to third spot ahead of Olympique Lyonnais on goal difference.
The top three in Ligue 1 qualify for the Champions League, with the third-placed team starting in the third qualifying round of Europe's elite competition. — Reuters
