Nigeria striker Tolu Arokodare explains heated touchline exchange with Ajax boss in win over Midtjylland

Super Eagles forward Tolu Arokodare has revealed what sparked his animated touchline exchange with Ajax head coach Míchel Sánchez during their emphatic 6-1 victory over FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.

The Nigerian striker, who delivered an impressive performance in Denmark, scored twice to help Ajax secure a commanding away victory in the competition’s league phase.

However, his goalscoring contribution was not the only talking point, with television cameras capturing an animated exchange between the 25-year-old and Sánchez near the touchline during the first half.

The incident prompted questions after the match, with Arokodare explaining that the interaction was simply an attempt by his manager to communicate tactical instructions about his movement and positioning.

Speaking to reporter Noa Vahle after the final whistle, the former Genk forward said he had approached Sánchez because he could not fully understand the instructions being communicated from a distance.

“He tried to tell me that I shouldn’t focus too much on the defender and that I should run into the spaces more. From a distance, I didn’t understand what he meant, so I had to come over to him to ask him to explain it better. And he did, so yeah,” he said, as quoted by Headtopics.

Arokodare fires Ajax to emphatic victory

The exchange came during an impressive outing for Arokodare, who played a significant role in Ajax’s demolition of the Danish side.

He opened the scoring in the ninth minute before fellow Nigerian forward Friday Etim brought Midtjylland level in the 28th minute.

Arokodare restored Ajax’s advantage seven minutes after the restart, finishing a move created by Abdellah Ouazane to register his second goal of the evening.

His strike proved the beginning of a dominant second-half display from the visitors, who went on to score four more goals.

Owen Wijndal, Davy Klaassen and Oscar Gloukh also found the net before substitute Marcos Leonardo completed the 6-1 rout, giving Ajax an important result on their European campaign.

The victory further underlined Arokodare’s growing influence since joining the Dutch giants, with the striker taking his tally to 12 goals in 16 appearances across all competitions this season.

Nigerian forward reaches 12-goal mark

Arokodare has been particularly productive in front of goal, scoring six times in the Eredivisie and adding another six goals in the Conference League and its qualifying rounds.

He has also contributed four assists, highlighting his growing importance to Ajax’s attacking options.

Reflecting on the performance, the Nigerian expressed satisfaction with his personal contribution but placed greater emphasis on the collective effort that produced the convincing victory.

“I always try to score. I received good passes from my teammates. I am happy that I was able to score, that we scored six goals, and that various players recorded goals and assists. Victories like this are great for the team. It is a big victory to take into the next match. The next match won’t be easy,” he added.

His comments reflected the importance of the result, particularly with Ajax looking to build momentum as the season progresses.

Ajax turn attention to FC Twente

With their European assignment successfully completed, Ajax will now shift their focus to domestic action when they host FC Twente in Sunday’s Eredivisie encounter.

Arokodare will be hoping to extend his impressive scoring run and maintain his influence in Sánchez’s attacking setup as Ajax prepare for another demanding fixture.

The Nigerian’s brace against Midtjylland has further strengthened his growing reputation at the club, while his explanation of the touchline incident has clarified that the animated exchange was centred on tactical instructions rather than a disagreement with his manager.