Topics: Eredivise, Ajax, Sparta Rotterdam, Mohamed Kudus, Christian Atsu
The Ghanaian international was on target for the Eredivise champions and dedicated his goal to he deceased former teammate.

Mohamed Kudus won the heart of many football fans with his tribute to deceased international teammate Christian Atsu in Ajax's Eredivisie win over Sparta Rotterdam. The 22-year-old talisman scored from a direct free-kick in the afternoon's 4-0 home victory and celebrated the goal by paying homage to his compatriot who lost his life in the recent earthquake in Turkey. 

The afternoon's encounter with Sparta was barely a contest for a rejuvented Ajax side that has been growing from strength to strength following the sacking of former headcoach Alfred Shreuder. The Amsterdam club, who are currently on an 11-game unbeaten run, began the onslaught with an opening goeal through Dusan Tadic in the sixth minute. The Serb will go on to finish the game with a brace, converting a spot-kick for his side's third after Kenneth Taylor had doubled the lead. 

In the 84th minute, a free-kick opportunity that was presented to Mohamed Kudus was finished with aplomb, with the Ghanaian finding the top-left corner from about 20-yards. The emotional attacker raced to the corner flag to celebrate his goal, and unveiled a shirt underneath his jersey with the inscription "RIP Atsu". 

The latter, a former Ghanaian international, tragically lost his life in the devastating earthquake that affected parts of Turkey and Syria on February 6th. Hours before his demise, the former Chelsea, Porto and Newcastle attacker scored a free-kick goal in a similar fashion as Kudus' for Turkish club Hatayaspor. On Saturday, two weeks after the natural disaster, the player's agent confirmed that his dead body had finally been retrieved from the rubble at his residence.