Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey ended on the losing side for only the second time in the Dutch Eredivisie in Sunday's clash with new league leaders PSV Eindhoven.
Ajax hosted PSV at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Sunday evening but fell to a 2-1 defeat at home as they slipped off the top of the table.
Bassey played all 90 minutes of the encounter but he was unable to stop Luuk de Jong and Erick Gutierrez from scoring in either half.
In a battle between the top 2 sides, Ajax were hoping to consolidate their grip on the title race by picking up their 10th league victory of the season.
Thus, the Alfred Schreuder-led side took control of the match, gaining superiority in ball possession and shots in the first half in front of their home fans.
However, PSV stuck to their script and bade their time till Cody Gakpo saw an opening in the 23rd minute and fed former Barcelona striker Luuk de Jong the ball to score the game's opener from almost nothing.
Ajax regrouped and resumed pressing but the trio of Brian Brobbey, Dusan Tadic, and Steven Bergwijn could not convert any of the 14 shots that Ajax had during the match.
Instead, it was PSV midfielder Gutierrez that doubled his side's lead in the 50th minute. PSV scored from both of their shots on target during the match.
Ajax halved the deficit in the 83rd minute through Lucca Lorenzo but it was too little too late as PSV held on for the victory and for a place at the top of the table pending Ajax's game in hand.
Calvin Bassey stats vs PSV Eindhoven
Nigeria international Bassey had a mixed evening, individually excelling but playing in a backline that conceded two goals and lost three points.
The 22-year-old played in a centre-back position and tallied two (2) interceptions, one (1) clearance, and one (1) blocked shot.
Offensively, the former Rangers star was formidable, recording a 97.1% passing accuracy as well as finding his target with five (5) out of his six (6) long balls and one (1) of two (2) crosses.
Bassey would be hoping to help Ajax bounce back from Sunday's defeat when they take on Vitesse at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday, November 9.
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