Thank you for joining me for this match and for your contributions of biggest fails. Chelsea couldn’t contribute to the discussion as they closed out the two-leg tie to see themselves in the Women’s Champions League semi-finals. For more details on the match have a read of the report below. I will be back tomorrow with the action from Barcelona v Brann but until then have a good evening.
Ajax played well across both ties but some of the defence in the first leg let them down. If they scored first in the first leg it could have turned out so differently. But they can take a lot of heart moving forward with the performances they put out, particularly their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The fixtures don’t get any easier for Chelsea, on Sunday they play Arsenal in the Conti Cup final. A key thing for the club will be that Lauren James did not play this evening. She was the key to unlock Arsenal in the WSL earlier this month.
Here is Ajax’s goal from Grant:
Chasity Grant gets one back for Ajax! ❌❌❌
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 27, 2024
Watch the UWCL LIVE and FREE on https://t.co/ye55kUaVzk #UWCLonDAZN #NewDealforWomensFootball pic.twitter.com/UfYIIYb9hQ
Chelsea are through to semis
Chelsea’s quadruple hopes are still alive as they are through to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals. The Blues will face either Barcelona or Brann in the last four match.
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Full time! Chelsea 1-1 Ajax (4-1 on agg)
Chelsea are through to the Women’s Champions League semi-finals after beating Ajax 4-1 on aggregate. The first leg proved the decider as the second leg ended 1-1. It was a spirited fight from Ajax but in the end the task was too much.
90 + 4 min: A peach of a ball was passed to Macario who found herself in a one-on-one with Van Eijk but the keeper did really well to close the challenge down.
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90 + 3 min: Perisset pulls a shirt and she gets a yellow card for her efforts.
90 + 1 min: There will be five minutes added.
90 min: Musovic take a bow, what a save. Tolhoek, just on the pitch, makes a curling effort and the keeper saved but saw it out for a corner. It is eventually popped in but it has too much in it and it’s out for a goal kick.
88 min: Macario has a shot on goal but it is straight at Van Eijk, the build up was impressive from Kaneryd. The Ajax keeper is now down with injury but she is okay to continue. Ajax makes another change with De Sanders off for Tolhoek.
86 min: The corner is delivered near post and it hits the side netting. And here come the visitors again, Keijzer gets the ball in but Carter clears.
84 min: Ajax win a corner with their momentum building. The delivery from Spitse is good but Chelsea are there to clear. The visitors have all the buzz right now and it’s popped in for a shot and Musovic is forced to save again! Ajax then win another corner, wow.
82 min: What a save from Musovic, she has a beaming smile after that. Leuchter controlled the ball well around Carter to take the shot but the keeper saved – it is out for a corner. They take it quickly but it is cleared.
80 min: Macario has a good chance as she makes her way around Spitse but eventually the Ajax captain nicks the ball off of the American. Chelsea win a corner through Macario shortly after. They take it short but it doesn’t come off and it’s out for a goal kick.
78 min: Leuchter makes a great run and does so well to get away from the Chelsea defence. She passes to Noordam but her effort is weak and Musovic collects.
77 min: Chelsea make a change with Beever-Jones off for Kaneryd. Ajax make a change too with Kardinaal off for Verhoeve. Ajax take the free kick but Musovic collects it easily.
76 min: Chelsea want a free kick for a challenge on Cankovic but it isn’t given. The Blues then give away a free kick, Cuthbert doesn’t agree with the call with a wagging of her finger.
74 min: There is a slight break in play with Kardinaal down with injury. She will be okay to continue, I think she has been down a few times but she soldiers on.
73 min: Chelsea taking the sting out of Ajax’s attack once more and are playing a lot in their own half. Eventually the ball comes to Lawrence in the box but her cross is easily blocked.
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71 min: Ajax wins a free kick and Spitse takes a long punt at goal but it is off target. Ajax are full of beans right now, if they score another in the next five minutes who can say what will happen here.
70 min: Van de Velde and Hoekstra are off for Noordman and Keukelaar as Ajax make changes.
68 min: For context for Musovic, who isn’t having the best game, she hasn’t played a match for Chelsea in a good few weeks. Hampton has a firm grip on the keeper shirt.
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67 min: Grant made a fabulous run but her strike wasn’t the best, you feel Musovic won’t be happy with that. Chelsea make a triple change after conceding with Buchanan, Reiten and Ramirez and Nusken, Macario and Cankovic
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Ajax (Grant, 65' - 4-1 on agg)
Grant! What a goal.
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65 min: A risky pass from Buchanan to Musovic but the keeper does well to recover. It hasn’t been the perfect performance from Emma Hayes’ side but they are comfortable in this tie.
63 min: Beever-Jones nutmegs two Ajax players to get it to Reiten, she lofts a ball into the area to find Ramirez but it has too much on it.
61 min: Leuchter was threaded a beautiful ball but Buchanan does well again to thwart the chance.
59 min: Buchanan is fouled again and wins a free kick, interestingly every time she has gone down since having a word with a referee the whistle has been blown. Chelsea take it back to Musovic, who has another loose pass and Ajax win it. Possession exchanges hands but Ajax gets it in the box but Buchanan clears.
57 min: The last ten minutes has been all Chelsea, yes Ajax have defended well but they need to throw an attacking punch and fast.
55 min: Kirby chips it into the area but it had too much on it to find Ramirez. Chelsea pepper the Ajax goal but the visitors do well to defend.
53 min: Buchanan loses the ball in her own box after doing well to not concede a corner but Leuchter’s effort is saved easily by Musovic. Chelsea quickly counter and Ramirez gets the the box, she goes down but no penalty is given.
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51 min: Chelsea have a long build-up but it comes to nothing with Van Eijk kicking clear, not much spark to this second half so far.
49 min: Chelsea win an early corner with De Sanders seeing it out. Reiten takes it and it is a good delivery but Van Eijk reads it well to catch.
47 min: Ajax start the second half just as they did the first with some promising play but they can’t convert it.
Back underway! Chelsea 1-0 Ajax (4-0 on agg)
The second 45 has begun. Ajax have a mountain to climb to get back into this tie but they have played well so far and you never know what can happen in knockout football. Ajax have made a change with Keizer is on for De Klonia.
Have a read of this while we wait for the second half:
Here is the goal:
It's a first European goal for Mayra Ramírez! 🇨🇴
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) March 27, 2024
Chelsea are clear... 🏃♀️💨
Watch the UWCL LIVE and FREE on https://t.co/ye55kUaVzk #UWCLonDAZN #NewDealforWomensFootball pic.twitter.com/Db2xLSwvCv
Half time! Chelsea 1-0 Ajax (4-0 on agg)
I think it is safe to say this tie has been decided but Ajax will be looking to do the unthinkable and score four unanswered goals in the second half to send this to extra time. Mayra Ramirez scored the only goal on the second leg so far, I will get a clip so you can see it.
45 + 1 min: There will be one minute added.
45 min: Van Gool loses possession but then Beever-Jones does the same thing – some slight scrappiness to this one at the moment.
43 min: Cuthbert finds Beever-Jones who does really well to find Reiten, she goes down after a tackle and the crowd want a penalty but none of the Chelsea players protest and it isn’t given. The Blues come again and it is Beever-Jones at the heart of things once more, her pass finds Ramirez but her attempt is over the bar.
41 min: Grant, who again is the key player in the build-up, finds a lovely pass to Van de Velde but her chance at goal is just over the bar.
39 min: Grant makes a good run and she tries to find Leuchter but there’s a miscommunication and it is out for a throw in.
37 min: Ajax want a free kick for a Buchanan handball but it isn’t given. The visitors have reacted well to conceding, they haven’t faded.
35 min: Reiten passed a good ball to Ramirez who took the one-on-one with Van Eijk and the Colombian came out on top. If the job was hard before it just became 10 time harder.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Ajax (Ramirez 33' - 4-0 on agg)
Is that the tie done now? I think so.
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32 min: Ajax are having some good build-up play, can they be the first to score? Not just yet.
30 min: Buchanan is fouled by Hoekstra and wins a free kick. Perisset is over the set piece ball again but it is launched into the stands – one she will look back on through gritted teeth. The pressure is really cranking up on Ajax though as Cuthbert is now fouled and the Blues have yet another free kick. They take it quickly and Lawrence tries to get it into the box but Spitse does enough to win a goal kick.
28 min: How has Beever-Jones not scored there? She slaps the ground in frustration after she made a great run into the box but took one touch too many and she was crowded out.
26 min: De Sanders is defending well and she makes another good interception as Ramirez tries to find Beever-Jones.
24 min: Chelsea are getting closer and closer to opening the scoring in this second leg. Beever-Jones does so well to find Reiten in the box but her effort is wide.
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23 min: Grant puts a great ball into the box but Carter is there again to clear. Buchanan now having a conversation with the referee as she believes her shirt was pulled but nothing comes of it.
21 min: Chelsea come forward now and Ingle goes down, the crowd want a penalty for a high boot and she is kicked by Van Gool but both players were going for the ball. VAR is in operation and so if there was anything in it it will be pinged but I don’t think it will.
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20 min: Oh my word, Musovic’s blushes have been majorly saved. The keeper went to clear the ball and it hit Hoekstra and rolled back towards goal. Musovic runs after it but is saved as it rolls wide. Wow.
18 min: A good ball comes in for Leuchter but Carter reads it well and sees it out for a throw in. It comes to Leuchter again after a beautiful run but her effort is wide – they are getting closer.
16 min: The longer Chelsea soak up Ajax’s pressure the harder the task will be for the visitors to throw a punch in this second leg. Remember if they keep Chelsea goalless they have to score at least three to send this to extra time.
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14 min: Chelsea win a free kick from a challenge, Perisset’s delivery is good but it dealt with. As Ajax look to counter Leuchter gives away another free kick for a tackle on Carter, Chelsea take it quickly but it’s wasted as the ball rolls out of play.
Adam has emailed his fail and I am not joking when I say I put my hands to my face when I read it because of shock. Prepare yourselves. He says: “If it’s not too gross for an MBM I once managed to divide my thumb parallel to the nail about 2cm deep with a serrated knife whilst slicing a semi-frozen bagel (pro-tip -- do not do this). Additional hilarity then ensued as I passed out in the process of receiving stitches. Not my proudest moment.”
I think I would have passed out too! Adam also asked me what snacks I have this evening, I have gone with salted popcorn.
12 min: Every time Ajax are in front of goal there is danger, this time the ball is threaded to Hoekstra but Musovic punches away before she can take a shot.
10 min: Chelsea have dealt with the Ajax pressure well and they come forward with a promising attack. It falls to Cuthbert whose attempt hits the post. She wanted a corner but a goal kick is given.
8 min: “OUCH!” Rob Coughlin has emailed. “I bruised my coccyx once falling off a fence on a drunken night 20 something years ago. It was extremely painful (the next day) and I still haven’t figured out what I was doing on that fence.”
Haha, that sounds like quite the evening Rob! I have been told I am in for about a month of pain, is that right? Back to the game and Ajax are continuing to press, they aren’t taking this lying down.
6 min: Chelsea are looking to take the sting out of Ajax’s momentum and they are happy to be patient. Cuthbert puts in a peach of a ball to Kirby but Van Eijk is quick to it to clear.
4 min: Ajax win an early corner as Carter sees it out of play. The delivery is short but Van Gool eventually gets it in and Spitse heads it but it is just over the bar – a really bright start from the visitors. Musovic looks to clear but her clearance is awful and Noordam almost pounces but the pass to her is a bit weak.
2 min: Early pressure from Ajax, they are bang up for this with Spitse leading a speech in the huddle before kick-off. Chelsea do manage to thread some play together, Ramirez does really well to beat some defenders but then Beever-Jones is muscled off the ball.
Kick-off! Chelsea 0-0 Ajax (3-0 on agg)
Here we go then. A spot in the semi-finals is up for grabs, who will take it?
The players will be coming out at Stamford Bridge shortly. Can Chelsea continue their bid for the quadruple? Or will Ajax pull of a huge upset? All to come.
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I’d love to hear from you! What are your biggest fails? One of mine happened this past week when I fell over at a rollerdisco and bruised my coccyx, I am in so much pain. Let me know yours via X (@rendellx) or via email.
Lyon are through to semi-finals
Benfica kept themselves in the tie after only losing 2-1 to Lyon but the French club also won the second leg 4-1 thanks to two goals from Delphine Cascarino and another two from Kadidiatou Diani – Lyon won the quarter-final 6-2 over two legs. They will play the winner of Paris Saint-Germain v Hacken which will conclude tomorrow.
Have you been reading our free weekly women’s football newsletter, Moving the Goalposts? This week features an interview with Barcelona’s Carolina Graham Hansen which you can read here:
Ajax manager Suzanne Bakker said: “We know three goals is quite a big difference but as I said last week, the ball is round and everything is still possible. We want to show that we are quick to learn and that this is an extra experience for us. We’ve learned about defending inside the box, we will show that we have learned our lesson.
“It’s very nice to have Spitse [back from suspension]. She has a lot of experience in her backpack. She can help the younger players so they can focus on fewer things with her there.”
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes will leave at the end of the current season but says the Champions League trophy will not define her time at the club.
“Of course if I was able to win the Champions League in my time here it would be another unbelievable achievement,” she said. “But I’ve said it time and time again, for my era to be defined by one competition is probably not what matters most to me,” added the 47-year-old Hayes, who will take over the United States women’s side at the end of the season.
“What matters most beyond the winning over the years is that I will leave the shirt in a better place and that’s probably the thing I am most invested in.”
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Another quarter-final kicked off earlier today between Lyon and Benfica. Their first leg ended 2-1 in Lyon’s favour, the second leg currently stands at 2-1 to the French club and so Lyon will go through if things stay as they are.
I will bring you the big story now as former England captain Steph Houghton is going to retire at the end of the season.
She said: “There is no easy way to say it, but I am retiring from football at the end of the current WSL season. Taking the decision to retire is such a difficult thing to do. Whilst age comes to every player, it makes it no easier having to say the words out loud. Football has been my life, my passion and I have loved the career I have had.
“I am excited for whatever comes next but, in the meantime, I remain focused on giving everything I have left for Manchester City over the next two months.” Read the full story:
The team news is in. Mayra Ramirez starts for Chelsea after recovering from injury with Lauren James starting from the bench.
Here's how your Chelsea line-up. ✊#UWCL pic.twitter.com/LeEIpOpHh9
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 27, 2024
Ajax, meanwhile, bring captain Sherida Spitse back into the line-up.
Tonight’s team news! 🫵#UWCL #cheaja pic.twitter.com/I4rOQndAdh
— Ajax Vrouwen (@AjaxVrouwen) March 27, 2024
Preamble
Hello and welcome back to the Women’s Champions League. Tonight we travel to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of Chelsea quarter-final against Ajax.
The Blues performed well last week in winning the first leg 3-0 away from home. It will be quite the feat if Ajax can beat Chelsea are home to go through to the semi-finals. Waiting for them in the final four match will be the winner of Barcelona v Brann, which is taking place tomorrow.
The team news will be out shortly so stay tuned for updates. What we do know is that Nathalie Bjorn will not be available for Chelsea but Mayra Ramirez is back in contention. For Ajax their talismanic captain Sherida Spitse can play after being suspended for the first leg.
I will bring you the team news in the next post and then there is a big women’s football story to update you on.
