Ajax Routs Midtjylland 6-1 in Conference League
Midtjylland midfielder Kjell Wätjen was sent off in the 43rd minute after two yellow cards as Ajax won 6-1 at the MCH-Arena in Herning.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Soccer
Ajax Amsterdam beat FC Midtjylland 6-1 in a Conference League match on Thursday evening at the MCH-Arena in Herning. Midtjylland was reduced to ten men when Kjell Wätjen was sent off in the 43rd minute with the score at 1-1, and conceded five goals after the break.
Why it matters
The result leaves Midtjylland facing a heavy defeat in its European campaign after a dismissal shifted the match. The sending-off of a player who has been central to the club's recent form changes the balance of its squad for upcoming fixtures.
Kjell Wätjen was booked twice in eight minutes for fouls on Ajax players Tolu Arokodare and Abdellah Ouazane before his sending-off in the 43rd minute. Midtjylland conceded five goals after the break while playing with ten men, and the club paid a €2.5 million transfer fee for the midfielder.
The players
Kjell Wätjen
Midfielder who spent ten years in Borussia Dortmund's youth ranks and won the junior European Championship with Germany Under-17 in 2023.
FC Midtjylland
Danish club based in Herning that topped the 3F Superliga for 13 matches before the loss to Ajax.
Ajax Amsterdam
Dutch club from Amsterdam that won the Conference League match 6-1 against Midtjylland.
The details
Wätjen was booked for fouls on Ajax players Tolu Arokodare and Abdellah Ouazane within eight minutes, and was dismissed in the 43rd minute with the match level at 1-1. Midtjylland coach Mike Tullberg said he will not fine the player.
Timeline
Wätjen developed in Borussia Dortmund's youth ranks between 2015 and 2025.
Wätjen made four appearances for Borussia Dortmund's first team before leaving the club in summer 2026.
The Conference League match was played on Thursday evening, November 5, 2026.
Season Trajectory
Wätjen's permanent move from Borussia Dortmund to Midtjylland follows a path many German youth-academy players take after limited first-team opportunities. The dismissal and heavy defeat affect Midtjylland's standing in European competition as the club balances domestic and continental fixtures.
Wätjen's suspension and Midtjylland's ten-man defeat affect how the club rotates its midfield in upcoming Conference League fixtures. Fantasy and betting readers tracking Midtjylland should account for a player who was dismissed in a match the club lost heavily.
The takeaway
A single dismissal can turn a close European match into a heavy defeat, and squad depth determines how well a club absorbs that change. Readers following Midtjylland's campaign should watch how the club rebalances its midfield in the next round.
Further reading
For more on European club competition, see the Soccer section.
