Twente triumph in Dutch Cup thriller

Twente came from 2-0 down to beat Ajax 3-2 in extra time and collect their third Dutch Cup in Sunday’s final at De Kuip Stadion.

Holders Ajax, who beat arch-rivals Feyenoord to claim their 18th Cup last season, went ahead through Demy De Zeeuw 18 minutes into the 2011 final.

The midfielder collected a pass from Siem de Jong and evaded Theo Janssen, before firing a low shot past Twente goalkeeper Sander Boschker.

Winger Lorenzo Ebecilio doubled the lead with a deflected shot five minutes before the break.

Holding midfielder Wout Brama began the fight-back when he scored for Twente to make it 2-1 moments before half-time, producing a calm finish from Luuk de Jong’s assist.

Midfielder Janssen, a key player for Twente throughout the season, was the man to level the scores in the 56th minute, the beneficiary of an excellent solo run and offload from de Jong.

Ebecilio hit the post for Ajax, while Bryan Ruiz and de Jong could have won it late on for Twente, but both headed their chances narrowly wide.

Neither team proved able to break the deadlock in the regulation 90 minutes and the trend looked set to continue in extra-time.

Ajax substitute Daley Blind hit the post with a header from Vurnon Anita’s cross, while Belgian fullback Bart Buysse was only denied by Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.

The match looked destined for a penalty shootout, until Austrian forward Marc Janko headed a 117th-minute winner from Janssen’s free-kick to complete the turnaround for Twente and ensure the Cup would be going back to De Grolsch Veste.

Ajax have an opportunity to exact revenge when the teams meet in the last match of Eredivisie season at the Amsterdam Arena next Sunday.

Defending champions Twente top the table by one point from second-placed Ajax, with the match set to decide the outcome of the title race.