Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer felt they didn't play at their best for their 2-1 defeat at Champions League opponents Liverpool.

In the closing moments of the match, Joel Matip's header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner sealed the victory. The ball had just managed to go over the line, and earn Liverpool three precious points in the group.

Pasveer says he did not believe Matip's header had crossed the line, until he saw the referee point to his watch. The 38-year-old went on to defend the Dutch team's tactics of playing out from the defence as often as they did.

“I was completely absorbed in the game and saw Dusan head the ball away," said Pasveer. “I don't think it was in it, but I couldn't estimate it well.

“Then when you see the referee looking at his watch, you know enough. At such a moment, the technology does not lie."

Pasveer added: “If we don't play from the back at a high tempo from the start, we will have a hard time. We have to take that point.

“It's important to get out of the pressure, because now we didn't come into our game. We still scored a very good football goal, but in the end it didn't help."

He also said: "In general, it was good defensively, but we gave away a lot of free kicks and corner kicks. Unfortunately, the decisive goal also came from that.

“You see in top football that duels are decided on these kinds of details. At those moments you try to sharpen things up.

“Whether that was difficult with all the noise from the stands? Coaching was more difficult, but then you throw in a few Strepsils at halftime and you can go back to it."