Mohammed Kudus Dedicates Superb Goal To Christian Atsu Following Ajax Win.

 Mohammed Kudus pays tribute to fellow compatriot Christian Atsu after scoring late for his club side Ajax on Sunday night.

Kudus astonishing free-kick in the 84th minute wrapped up a 4-0 win for Ajax over Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie. 

The 22-year-old has been in a superb form, scoring in back-to-back league games for Ajax who are second in the Eredivisie with 46 points after 22 games, three points behind leaders Feyenoord.

Serbian and Ajax Captain Dušan Tadić had scored a brace earlier on (6th and 6th minutes), and Dutch midfielder Kenneth Taylor scoring in-between (27th minute) of the encounter, before Kudus goal to hand over the Dutch outfit a crucial win at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Kudus then ran to the sideline and went on his knees as he lifted his Ajax shirt to reveal another white shirt underneath with an imprint "R.I.P (Rest In Peace) Atsu" written on it.

READ MORE: Tragic: Christian Atsu Found Dead At 31, After Going Missing In Turkey Earthquake.

It was confirmed early on Saturday morning, that Atsu had died in the earthquake that devasted parts of Turkey and Syria earlier this month, reportedly killing more than 44,000 people in both countries.

The 31-year-old Ghanaian and former Chelsea and Newcastle player, had been missing since the immediate aftermath, and was feared to be among those trapped under the rubble.

There were initial reports that Atsu had been rescued a day after the catastrophic quake, and was in hospital receiving treatment, but these turned out to be false and his body was found on Saturday.

His agent revealed that he had perished in a building he was living in Antakya.

According to reports, The remains of  Christian Atsu were being flown home on Sunday, the country’s foreign ministry said.

The ministry also said Atsu’s older brother and twin sister were present at the site of the rescue when his body was recovered.

“The remains will be accompanied by his family and Ghana’s ambassador to Turkey on a Turkish Airlines flight and will arrive in Accra at 7.40pm Sunday,” reads a statement by Ghana’s foreign ministry.

The coffin containing Christian Atsu's body is here 💔#3Sports #RIPChristianAtsu pic.twitter.com/AHUvJ1wJrS

— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) February 19, 2023

READ MORE: Tragic: Christian Atsu Found Dead At 31, After Going Missing In Turkey Earthquake.

Atsu's wife, Marie-Claire Rupio, and their three children (two sons and a daughter) were in the stands at St James’ Park later on Saturday evening to join in a tribute to the player before Newcastle United Premier League match against Liverpool.

“There are no words to describe our sadness,” tweeted his Turkish top-flight club in homage to him. “We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person.”

Atsu scored 33 career goals in his career, with his last coming in a late win for Hatayspor against Kasimpasa in Turkey’s Super Lig on 5 February, just hours before the quake struck.

The last goal scored by Christian Atsu was a free kick. Here, Ghanaian Mohammed Kudus also scores a free-kick for Ajax and dedicates it to his compatriot ❤️ 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/uPQ0DzJ0lC

— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) February 19, 2023

Kudus was also part of Ghana's Black Stars squad in 2019 at the same time as Atsu.

Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, said”: “Football has lost one of its finest ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace.”