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Sneijder double steers Ajax into UEFA Champions League [Thu Aug 25th, 2005]
Amsterdam (Reuters) - Substitute Wesley Sneijder scored twice in the final 10 minutes to give Ajax a 3-1 win over Brondby and a place in the UEFA Champions League.
The Amsterdam team won the third qualifying round tie 5-3 on aggregate following a 2-2 draw in Copenhagen two weeks ago.
The Danish champions, who had scored an injury-time equaliser in the first leg, played a solid first half and took a deserved lead a minute before the interval. Swede Johan Elmander scored in a counter-attack from Morten Skoubo's pass.
But Brondby's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League proper for the first time since 1998 faded with Ryan Babel's equaliser early in the second half.
The Dutch international picked up the ball from a corner and surprised Brondby goalkeeper Casper Ankergren with a fierce shot inside the near post to turn the match Ajax's way.
Ajax lacked the creativity to disrupt the Danish side's defence and needed another long-distance shot to take the lead.
Sneijder, who started on the bench with coach Danny Blind preferring Nordin Boukhari in midfield, put Ajax ahead after 80 minutes and hit a second on the counter-attack two minutes from the end of a compelling match.
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