Ajax staged a stunning comeback in Baku to claim their first points of a wretched Champions League season with a 4-2 win against debutants Qarabag.

Interim coach Fred Grim promoted 17-year-olds Sean Steur and Jortho Mokio to the first team as he looked to energise a team reeling from five straight defeats in the competition.

Kasper Dolberg was also restored to the starting line-up in a change enforced by an ankle injury to Wout Weghorst.

The early signs were unpromising for Ajax in a game played at a sluggish pace. Dolberg went close when he rounded off a move that was begun by goalkeeper Viteszslav Jaros by shooting into the side netting.

The home side responded by going ahead when Camilo Duran profited from a moment’s indecision by defender Ko Itakura to steal in and loft the ball over the advancing Jaros.

Dolberg had another opportunity after 20 minutes when Anton Gaaei made space on the right before squaring to the striker, but his shot sailed high over the crossbar.

Qarabag threat

Qarabag continued to pose a threat and should have had a second when Abdellah Zoubir found the ball at his feet in front of goal, but the French striker screwed his attempt wide.

Ajax went level six minutes before the interval as Dolberg picked up a ball from Steur on the left side, evaded three advancing defenders and struck a shot from 20 metres that flew past the goalkeeper’s right hand.

But two minutes after the break the Azeri side were back in front as a succession of blunders allowed Matheus Silva to hit a shot from the edge of the area that Ajax’s Lucas Rosa deflected past Jaros into the net.

Grim brought on another teenage debutant, Don-Angelo Konadu, for Dolberg in the 78th minute, and the Dutch-Ghanaian made an immediate impact, running onto a low cross by Mika Godts only to hit his shot straight at Mateusz Kowalski.

Ajax equalised a minute later when Oscar Gloukh jinked past two defenders and found the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Four minutes later Ajax broke out of their own penalty area and Konadu laid the ball on for Danish defender Anton Gaaei to hit a swerving shot past the diving Kowalski.

And as the hosts poured forward in search of an equaliser, Godts strolled up the other end and picked out Gloukh, who rolled in the fourth through the goalkeeper’s legs.

The result lifts Ajax off the bottom of the Champions League table to 33rd place, with a trip to fellow strugglers Villarreal and a home fixture against Olympiakos still to come.