Ajax’s defence looked nervy in the early stages, with Lazio pressing their hosts well and yielding a reward with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Showing the unrivalled vision of a top-tier veteran midfielder, Pedro latched onto a clever pass from Nicolò Rovella and sliced Ajax apart with a clinical through-ball to Loum Tchaouna. He ran through and fired powerfully past Remko Pasveer, duly registering his first senior-level goal in a UEFA club competition.
Brian Brobbey had a glorious chance to level up on 20 minutes, but could only head wide after meeting a long cross from Devyne Rensch to the far post.
Ajax continued growing into the game though, and after a Fisayo Dele-Bashiru block against Bertrand Traoré’s shot late in the first half, the Burkinabe forward unleashed hell early in the second.
Luca Pellegrini blocked a Kenneth Taylor header from Jordan Henderson’s free kick, and the ball rolled to Traoré, who’s unstoppable rocket flew into the top-left corner at the near post.
Lazio were undeterred by such a stunning equaliser though, and retook the lead within five minutes via the man who had earlier denied Traoré.
A breakaway down the left enabled Mattia Zaccagni to send a ball across the face of goal, and despite the awkward angle, Dele-Bashiru fired in a shot that was parried away by Pasveer – but not before it had crossed the line by mere inches, giving the Nigerian his maiden goal on the continental scene.
At the other end, Brobbey saw another header float just wide, leaving him kicking the post in frustration.
Somewhat inevitably, the luckless Brobbey made way for Wout Weghorst, but he was not helped by plays that became more speculative by the minute, as Lazio kept their shape and looked to utilise the counter. That approach was vindicated in full – and quite emphatically – with around a quarter of an hour remaining.
Tchaouna returned the earlier favour by running like the wind through Ajax’s flagging midfield, and he played the ball back for Pedro, who curled a beautiful shot into the far corner of Pasveer’s net to seal the points.
On the whole, this was a majestic performance from the new UEL league phase leaders, who now need just a point from their remaining two games to progress straight to the UEL quarter-finals.
The second Dutch team to fall at home to the Eagles this term, Ajax could well join them, but their trip to Latvia to face RFS on 23 January has to be the tonic that people expect, after a dispiriting 13th straight winless H2H against Italian opposition.