The two remaining Dutch clubs in European football competition were both eliminated on Thursday evening, following defeats for PSV and Feyenoord earlier in the week.

Ajax lost 4-1 away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League round of 16 after fielding what some had described as a “fantasy team”. Ten of the starting line-up had not been involved in the first-leg 1-2 home defeat by the Germans.

Some pundits said coach Francesco Farioli had decided to rest a number of key players to focus on the league title. Ajax are currently eight points clear of PSV.

AZ, also away, lost 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in the same competition, having surprised the English club with a 1-0 win in the first leg.

“It is a big disappointment that we could not get it together to lift our game a notch,” AZ trainer Maarten Martens said after the match.

The results mean the end of European football for Dutch clubs this season, although the strong performance has almost certainly ensured two Dutch teams will qualify directly for the 2026/27 Champions League competition.

That is already the case for next season.