20 November 1957 - Ajax Goes European

On 20 November 1957, Ajax made their first European Cup appearance, beating East Germany's SC Wismut in the Round of 16. They later went on to win the competition four times, including three straight titles from 1971 to 1973.

Ajax failed to qualify for the first two European Cups, but made it into the 1957-58 tournament by winning the Eredivisie the previous season. They were one of seven teams, including defending champions Real Madrid, to receive a bye in the first round, placing them directly into the Round of 16.

There, they faced East German champions SC Wismut, who had advanced out of the preliminary round with a coin toss after their playoff match against Gwardia Warsaw was halted after 100 minutes when the floodlights failed.

Wismut hosted the first leg and promptly fell behind to the visitors after a goal from winger Piet van der Kuil in the fifth minute. Wim Bleijenberg doubled the lead eleven minutes later, then van der Kuil struck again in the 64th minute. Wismut got a consolation goal in the 86th minute to set the final margin at 1-3 for Ajax.

Ajax won the second leg 1-0 one week later to advance to the quarterfinals where they fell to Hungarian side Vasas 2-6 on aggregate. Afterward, they became one of the most successful teams in European competition, winning the European Cup in 1971, 1972, and 1973, then again in 1995 (after it had been renamed the Champions League). They also finished as runners-up in 1969 and 1996.

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