Ajax have issued an apology and pledged to refund travelling fans after a humiliating 6-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Cup, inflicted by a Troy Parrott hat-trick. The result marks Ajax's heaviest loss in the competition in nearly a century.
Irish striker Parrott opened the scoring after just two minutes, added a second shortly after the half-hour mark, and completed his treble ten minutes from time. Peer Koopmeiners, Kees Smit, and Ibrahim Sadiq also scored for AZ, while Ajax finished with ten men after Owen Wijndal's red card midway through the second half.
Ajax manager Fred Grim expressed shame over the result, stating: 'We are ashamed of this result. We believe we should cover the costs for the away fans. And we will do so.' Midfielder Youri Regeer added that players would contribute to the reimbursement.
Parrott, watched by Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, acknowledged his recent form had dipped but celebrated his first hat-trick since November. 'I feel like I needed that... To beat them the way that we did today is really good,' he said.
