Chalien Dantes/Contributor

Ajax FC finally grabbed their first Champions League win of the season, pulling off a wild comeback in Azerbaijan after twice falling behind to Qarabag on Wednesday (December 10). 

The Dutch club, weighed down by five straight losses, looked headed for another rough night when they trailed 2–1. Then Oscar Gloukh drilled in a long-range strike to level things, and moments later Anton Gaaei smashed home a first-time finish to flip the match on its head. Gloukh wrapped it up in the 90th minute with a calm shot tucked into the bottom corner.

The victory lifted Ajax off the foot of the 36-team standings. They still face a steep climb, though, with only two games left away to Villarreal on 20 January and at home against Olympiacos on 28 January, their chances of reaching the top 24 appear slim. Nine points is the most they can reach, and last season the cutoff was 11.

This year’s European run has been rough for Ajax, featuring heavy defeats to Marseille, Chelsea and Galatasaray. Their night in Baku didn’t start smoothly, either. Qarabag struck early when Camilo Duran chipped the ball over Vitezslav Jaros. Kasper Dolberg responded with a sharp 25-yard finish before the break, but Matheus Silva nudged Qarabag ahead again seconds into the second half with a deflected shot.

Qarabag, still searching for their first trip to the Champions League knockout rounds, sit on seven points from six matches. They next welcome Eintracht Frankfurt on 21 January before heading to Liverpool a week later.