Ajax and AZ Alkmaar took very different routes to reach the last 16 of the Europa League, leaving four Dutch clubs in European competition as the knockout stages begin.

But it was a night of heartbreak for Twente Enschede, who looked set to progress against Bodø/Glimt until the Norwegian side hit them with two injury-time goals before scoring twice more in extra time.

Ajax’s hopes were hanging by a thread as Belgian club Union Saint-Gillis wiped out their two-goal advantage from the first leg within 25 minutes.

The Amsterdammers also lost Davy Klaassen when the midfielder was sent off for handling the ball on the goal-line, forcing them to play for more than an hour with 10 men.

Promise Akinpelu scored the resulting penalty to add to Kevin MacAllister’s early goal and level the aggregate score after Ajax won the first leg 2-0. But the Belgians were unable to capitalise on their advantage, and in extra-time Kenneth Taylor scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot.

Coach Francesco Farioli praised his “team of warriors” at the post-match press conference. “I don’t know where these players are finding the energy from,” he said.

AZ cruise through

AZ were never in danger of surrendering their three-goal advantage from the first leg against Galatasaray, as the two clubs played out a 2-2 draw in Istanbul.

Goals either side of half-time by Seiya Maikuma and Denso Kasius extended AZ’s aggregate lead to 6-1, while Galatasaray salvaged some pride on the night when Victor Osimhen pulled a goal back almost immediately before Rolland Sallai claimed a well-taken equaliser.

AZ will play either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16, while Ajax face either Eintracht Frankfurt or Olympique Lyonnais. The draw will be made later on Friday.

Twente frozen out

They will not be joined by Twente Enschede after Joseph Oosting’s team collapsed in the closing stages of their second-leg match in the Arctic Circle against Bodø/Glimt.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Twente went further ahead when Bodø defender Fredrik Sjøvold bundled a corner into his own net in the first half.

The Norwegians equalised from the penalty spot after Gustaf Lagerbielke was penalised for treading on Hakon Evjen’s foot. Twente looked set to hang on, but in the second minute of injury time Mees Hilgers turned a cross past his own goalkeeper to level the tie.

Bodø thought they had completed a dramatic turnaround when Brice Wembangomo fired a long-range shot past Lars Unnerstall a minute later, but in the fifth minute of injury time Sem Steijn scrambled in an equaliser to force extra-time.

But there was to be no second comeback for Twente as Sondre Fet’s shot was just strong enough to cross the line before Steijn could hack it clear. Arne Verschueren then deflected Fredrik André Bjørkan’s attempt past Unnerstall for the third own goal of the night to seal Twente’s fate.