UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2015/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Molde Stadion - Molde Thursday 1 October 2015 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Molde FK Group A - Matchday 2 AFC Ajax Last updated 16/09/2020 22:35CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Team facts 5 Squad list 7 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 10 Match officials 12 Legend 13 1 Molde FK - AFC Ajax Thursday 1 October 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams Molde FK - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-2 Valpoort 90+2; Berget 30/08/2012 PO sc Heerenveen - Molde FK Heerenveen agg: 1-4 54, Diouf 73 Eikrem 31, Moström 23/08/2012 PO Molde FK - sc Heerenveen 2-0 Molde 90 AFC Ajax - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 4-0 Rosenberg 6, 26, 28/09/2006 R1 AFC Ajax - IK Start Amsterdam agg: 9-2 Grygera 43, Babel 68 M. Johnson 27, Fevang 55; Huntelaar 14/09/2006 R1 IK Start - AFC Ajax 2-5 Lillestrom 17, 87, Rosenberg 42, Sneijder 63, Roger García 67 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Ibrahimović 41; Enerly 22/10/2002 GS1 AFC Ajax - Rosenborg BK 1-1 Amsterdam 85 (P) 02/10/2002 GS1 Rosenborg BK - AFC Ajax 0-0 Trondheim European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Birkelund 10 (og), 4-0 28/09/1977 R1 AFC Ajax - Lillestrøm SK Amsterdam Geels 32, La Ling 51, agg: 4-2 72 Lønstad 2, Johansen 14/09/1977 R1 Lillestrøm SK - AFC Ajax 2-0 Oslo 14 European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 0-0 07/09/1960 PR AFC Ajax - Fredrikstad FK Amsterdam agg: 3-4 Olsen 35, Kristoffersen 48, 31/08/1960 PR Fredrikstad FK - AFC Ajax 4-3 Fredrikstad Pedersen 59, Borgen 70; Groot 26, 75, Swart 37 2 Molde FK - AFC Ajax Thursday 1 October 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Molde FK 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 4 1 AFC Ajax 4 2 2 0 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 8 3 3 2 17 9 3 Molde FK - AFC Ajax Thursday 1 October 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Match background Molde FK made a sensational start in their first UEFA Europa League Group A game and will hope to spring another surprise as AFC Ajax make their 350th UEFA competition appearance. Previous meetings • The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition. • Molde have won their only two previous European matches against Dutch opponents, beating sc Heerenveen home and away in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League play-offs. • Ajax's record in eight fixtures against Norwegian teams is W3 D3 L2 (W2 D2 L0 at home – W1 D1 L2 in Norway). In the most recent of those ties, they beat IK Start 9-2 on aggregate in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup first round. Form guide • Molde are unbeaten at home in Europe this season (W2 D1) and kicked off their Group A campaign with a sensational 3-1 away win against Fenerbahçe SK. • Eliminated by eventual runners-up FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in last season's round of 16, Ajax are undefeated in three European games (W1 D2), including a 2-2 draw against Celtic FC on matchday one. • Molde are making their second appearance in this group stage, having missed out on the knockout phase in their maiden campaign in 2012/13. • Ajax have made it through to the round of 32 in all three of their previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns. They have featured at one stage or another in the last nine editions of the competition, meaning they are the only ever-present club in the seven seasons of the UEFA Europa League. Trivia and links • The journey from Amsterdam to Molde is just over 1,150km. • This is Ajax's 350th UEFA club competition game; the previous 349 ended W170 D74 L105. • The oldest player registered for this season's group stage, Molde's 40-year-old midfield fulcrum Daniel Hestad has Dutch league experience, having represented Heerenveen from 2003 to 2005. Hestad is a Molde legend; he broke his father Stein Olav Hestad's Molde club appearance record while three of his uncles and his brother have played for the club at various times. • Molde defender Joona Toivio (AZ Alkmaar, SC Telstar) and midfielder Harmeet Singh (Feyenoord 2012–14) have also played in the Netherlands. • Molde are one of ten domestic champions in this season's group stage, along with KF Skenderbëu (Albania), Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan), APOEL FC (Cyprus), FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic), FC Midtjylland (Denmark), KKS Lech Poznań (Poland), FK Partizan (Serbia), Celtic FC (Scotland) and FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland). The coaches • Erling Moe took over as Molde coach in August, replacing Tor Ole Skullerud, who was dismissed the season after leading the club to a domestic double. Born and raised in Molde, Moe has worked behind the scenes at the club since 2007, as a coach and physical trainer. • Frank de Boer has been in charge of Ajax since 2010, and in 2014 became the first coach to lead the club to four successive Eredivisie titles. The defender won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League as an Ajax player. 4 Molde FK - AFC Ajax Thursday 1 October 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Team facts Molde FK Formed: 1911 Nickname: MFK UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • none Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) • Domestic title: 3 (2014) • Norwegian Cup: 4 (2014) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: third qualifying round 2013/14: play-offs (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2012/13: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2010/11: third qualifying round 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2006/07: first round 2005/06: did not take part in UEFA club competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 4-1: Molde v ND Gorica 17/07/14, UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first leg 3-0: Molde v FK Ventspils 18/07/12, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg • Biggest away win 0-4: KÍ Klaksvík v Molde 28/08/03, UEFA Cup qualifying round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-2: Molde v FC Rubin Kazan 22/08/13, UEFA Europa League play-off first leg 0-2: Molde v SL Benfica 27/11/03, UEFA Cup second round second leg • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Östers IF v Molde 01/10/75, UEFA Cup first round second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 4-1: Molde v ND Gorica (see above) • Biggest away win 0-4: KÍ Klaksvík v Molde (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-2: Molde v FC Rubin Kazan (see above) 0-2: Molde v SL Benfica (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Östers IF v Molde (see above) AFC Ajax Formed: 1900 Nickname: Godenzonen (Sons of the Gods) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • European Cup (4): (1969), 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995, (1996) 5 Molde FK - AFC Ajax Thursday 1 October 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1987, (1988) • UEFA Cup (1): 1992 • UEFA Super Cup (2): 1973, (1987), 1995 • European/South American Cup (2): 1972, 1995 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 33 (2014) Dutch Cup: 18 (2010) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2013/14: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2012/13: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2011/12: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2010/11: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2009/10: round of 32 2008/09: round of 16 2007/08: first round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2006/07: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2005/06: UEFA Champions League round of 16 Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 14-0: Ajax v FA Red Boys Differdange 03/10/84, UEFA Cup first round second leg • Biggest away win 1-8: HJK Helsinki v Ajax 19/09/79, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-4: Ajax v Real Madrid CF 23/11/10, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: FC Bayern München v Ajax 22/10/80, European Champion Clubs' Cup second round first leg 4-0 on four occasions, most recently v FC Barcelona 18/09/13, UEFA Champions League group stage UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 14-0: Ajax v FA Red Boys Differdange (see above) • Biggest away win 0-6: KAA Gent v Ajax 12/09/00, first round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Ajax v FC Salzburg 21/02/14, round of 32 first leg 0-3 (aet): Ajax v FK Austria Wien 27/09/1989, first round second leg • Heaviest away defeat 4-1: Budapest Honvéd FC v Ajax 22/11/78, third round first leg 3-0 on three occasions, most recently v FC Spartak Moskva 17/03/11, round of 16 second leg 6 Molde FK - AFC Ajax Thursday 1 October 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Squad list Molde FK Current season All-time UCL QUAL UEL League UEL UEFA No.