Ajax scored twice in injury time to rescue a draw in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off against Norwegian side Bodo Glimt.
England midfielder Jordan Henderson, 33, played the full match in his first European game for Ajax since moving from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.
The visitors gained a shock 2-0 lead thanks to Albert Gronbaek’s double.
But Ajax got one back through Branco van den Boomen’s penalty before Steven Berghuis equalised in the 97th minute.
The second leg is next Thursday, but the Norwegians will be without Odin Luras Bjortuft after he was sent off for conceding the 91st-minute penalty, which was awarded following a video assistant referee check and on-pitch official Antonio Nobre watching the incident on a pitchside monitor.
Henderson, who led Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2019, moved to Al-Ettifaq in July, only to then move to Ajax in the January transfer window.
This was his third game for Ajax and his first in European competition since playing for the Reds in their 5-2 loss to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League tie in February 2023.
He came close to scoring his first goal for the club, but saw a 25-yard effort saved by Kjetil Haug.
Bodo Glimt, in their first competitive match of 2024, looked in control, only for two late goals to leave the tie in the balance, with the winners progressing to the last 16.
Ajax have won six major European honours, including the European Cup or Champions League on four occasions. However, a difficult 2023–24 saw them sack manager Maurice Steijn in October and then drop into the Conference League after finishing third in a Europa League group that was topped by Brighton.
Round-up – Sturm Graz take control
Elsewhere in the Conference League, Sturm Graz beat Slovan Bratislava 4-1, Molde won 3-2 at home against Legia Warsaw and there were 1-0 home victories for Olympiakos and Maccabi Haifa against Ferencvaros and Gent respectively.
A late Bruno Petkovic penalty gave Dinamo Zagreb an excellent 1-0 win at Real Betis and Eintracht Frankfurt, who won the 2021-22 Europa League, drew 2-2 at Union St Gilloise, while Servette’s match with Ludogorets ended goalless.
The second legs of these ties all take place next Thursday and the victors will progress into the last 16 where they will meet a side that finished top in the group phase.
Awaiting in the last 16 are Aston Villa (England), Club Bruges (Belgium), Fenerbahce (Turkey), Fiorentina (Italy), Lille (France), Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), PAOK (Grecce) and Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic).
