This is what dreams are made of! And Collins Sichenje is living his dream to its fullest after a night to remember at Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday.The Kenyan defender made a fantastic debut for the Serbian SuperLiga side Vojvodina at the almost highest stage possible – against Ajax Amsterdam in the UEFA Europa League qualification.The 20-year-old centre-back clocked the entire 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss against the four-time European champions.Although he was not expected to make his maiden appearance for the Novi Sad-based side, let alone to find himself in the starting XI, Sichenje was provided with a magnificent chance and trust from his new coach, Bozidar Bandovic.And he made sure to cement his place in the squad for good!Collins Sichenje, on loan from AIK in Sweden, starts for FK Vojvodina away to Ajax in the Europa League qualifyers! pic.twitter.com/Foye5kpN0n— Patrick Mörk (@AgentMork) July 25, 2024 Not impressed by the presence of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in their opponent’s squad and more than 50,000 vocal home supporters, the Kenyan defender punched above his weight.Together with his centre-back partner Crnomarkovic, Sichenje fought bravely the entire game against the potent Ajax attacking line.After a somewhat dull opening of 25 minutes, the Dutch side shifted the gear and stormed Vojvodina’s box in search of the opener that would change the game’s momentum.However, Sichenje and his teammates kept their cool and, with a tad bit of luck, managed to push back the favourites in a couple of promising situations.EXCLUSIVE Sichenje is officially red and white, Ajax first major testThe former AFC Leopards player seemed confident and even took one risk, which may have been unnecessary, to take the ball into the centre circle. He ceded possession with one wayward pass, which ended out of bounds, and that marked Sichenje’s only mistake in the first half.After the break, Vojvodina regained their calm, and despite their blatant domination in terms of ball possession, Ajax were nowhere near the much-desired goal until the dying minutes.On the contrary, Sichenje’s team were much closer to scoring a shocking opener against the run of play. Vukanovic suddenly found himself in a one-on-one with the Ajax keeper, but, unfortunately, his effort ended on the right post.Branco 👏🎯 Ajax – Vojvodina 1-0 ⚖️#ajavoj #uel pic.twitter.com/Du0Aq4DC7e— Eredivisie (@eredivisie) July 25, 2024 And just when it seemed the Serbian side was on the verge of a massive draw, Branco van den Boomen buried a superb header for the hosts for a 1-0 victory. The return leg is scheduled for next Thursday, and Sichenje will surely make another Europa League appearance, hopefully ending in a historic triumph for his new club.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – QUALIFICATION ROUNDThursdayAjax – Vojvodina 1-0 (0-0)/Van den Boomen 86/
