The 2021 KNVB Cup final was a football match between Eredivisie clubs Ajax and Vitesse, that took place on 18 April 2021 at De Kuip, Rotterdam. It was the final match of the 2020–21 KNVB Cup, the 103rd season of the annual Dutch national football cup competition.

2021 KNVB Cup final
De Kuip in Rotterdam hosted the final.
Event2020–21 KNVB Cup
Date18 April 2021 (2021-04-18)
VenueDe Kuip, Rotterdam
RefereeBjörn Kuipers[1]
Attendance0[note 1]
2019 (2020)
2022

Ajax won the match 2–1 for a record twentieth title. As winners, they will compete in the 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield and earned a spot in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League play-off round if they do not qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League.

It was announced in March 2021 that there would be no fans at the match due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Route to the final

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Ajax Round Vitesse
Opponent
Result
Opponent
Result
Bye First round Bye
FC Utrecht
5–4 (H)
Second round Willem II
2–0 (A)
AZ
1–0 (A)
Round of 16 ADO Den Haag
2–1 (H)
PSV Eindhoven
2–1 (H)
Quarter-finals SBV Excelsior
1–0 (A)
SC Heerenveen
3–0 (A)
Semi-finals VVV-Venlo
2–0 (H)

Match

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Ajax2–1Vitesse
Report
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ajax
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vitesse
GK 1   Maarten Stekelenburg
RB 15   Devyne Rensch   75'
CB 2   Jurriën Timber
CB 21   Lisandro Martínez
LB 31   Nicolás Tagliafico   90+5'
CM 4   Edson Álvarez
CM 6   Davy Klaassen   87'
CM 8   Ryan Gravenberch
RF 39   Antony   87'
CF 22   Sébastien Haller
LF 10   Dušan Tadić (c)
Substitutes:
GK 16   Kjell Scherpen
GK 33   Dominik Kotarski
DF 3   Perr Schuurs   75'
DF 5   Sean Klaiber
DF 12   Noussair Mazraoui
MF 18   Jurgen Ekkelenkamp   87'
MF 19   Zakaria Labyad
MF 20   Mohammed Kudus
FW 7   David Neres   87'
FW 9   Oussama Idrissi
FW 23   Lassina Traoré
FW 30   Brian Brobbey
Manager:
  Erik ten Hag
GK 22   Remko Pasveer (c)
CB 3   Danilho Doekhi
CB 10   Riechedly Bazoer
CB 6   Jacob Rasmussen   86'
RWB 2   Eli Dasa   46'
LWB 32   Maximilian Wittek   74'   89'
RM 8   Sondre Tronstad
CM 14   Oussama Tannane   63'   89'
LM 21   Matúš Bero   90+3'
CF 7   Loïs Openda   65'
CF 11   Armando Broja
Substitutes:
GK 23   Bilal Bayazit
GK 24   Jeroen Houwen
DF 16   Alois Oroz   46'
DF 18   Tomáš Hájek   89'
DF 39   Enzo Cornelisse
DF 42   Million Manhoef
MF 20   Thomas Bruns
MF 27   Idrissa Touré   72'   65'
MF 40   Daan Huisman
FW 9   Oussama Darfalou   89'
FW 17   Hilary Gong
FW 19   Noah Ohio
Manager:
  Thomas Letsch

Assistant referees:[1]
Sander van Roekel
Erwin Zeinstra
Fourth official:[1]
Allard Lindhout
Video assistant referee:[1]
Pol van Boekel
Assistant video assistant referee:[1]
Joost van Zuilen

Match rules[3]

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Maximum of twelve named substitutes.
  • Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time.[note 2]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.
  2. ^ Each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Bjorn Kuipers fluit bekerfinale tussen Ajax en Vitesse" [Bjorn Kuipers whistles the cup final between Ajax and Vitesse]. TotoKNVBBeker.nl (in Dutch). Royal Dutch Football Association. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Finale TOTO KNVB Beker definitief zonder publiek" [The final of the TOTO KNVB Cup will be played without an audience]. KNVB.nl (in Dutch). Royal Dutch Football Association. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Reglement voor het toernooi om de TOTO KNVB Beker seizoen 2020/'21" [Regulations for the tournament of the Toto KNVB Cup 2020–21 season] (PDF). KNVB.nl (in Dutch). Royal Dutch Football Association. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2021.