Chelsea Women seal place in Champions League semi-finals with 4-1 aggregate win over Ajax... as...

Chelsea Women Advance To Champions League Semis With 4-1 Win Over Ajax; Ramirez Scores In 1-1 Draw

Blog post time: 9:52 PM GMT, March 27th, 2024 | Blog post update time: 10:59 PM GMT, March 27th, 2024.

It was highly likely that Chelsea would make it to the semi-finals of the Champions League. However, Emma Hayes wasn't taking any risks and wasn't assuming that the job was already complete.

Last week, the Blues won 3-0 against Ajax, which gave them a good advantage halfway through the game. However, there is no guarantee of anything in football. Although her team didn't perform very well in the second leg, it didn't affect the outcome. A 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge was sufficient to advance to the next round, where they will face reigning champions Barcelona in a potentially exciting match.

The match between the Catalans and Norwegian team SK Brann is not yet over. Despite the 2-1 advantage held by the Catalans going into the second leg on Thursday, it would be a huge surprise if they do not move forward to the next stage.

Everyone knows that Hayes and her team have a strong desire to win this competition. It is the only trophy that Hayes hasn't won yet and since Hayes will be leaving for the United States at the end of the season, it would be a perfect ending for her if she can win the European Championship as well. It would be a dream come true for Hayes to retire as a European champion.

She has made progress towards making that a reality.

During the opening half of the match against Ajax, Mayra Ramirez found the back of the net, securing a spot in the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League for Chelsea.

Emma Hayes has made it her mission to obtain the Champions League trophy, which is the only accolade she has yet to conquer.

Hayes stated that when you examine our performance in the Champions League, particularly in the past five years, we have only failed to qualify from the group stage on one occasion.

Every year, we have reached the later rounds. We anticipate being in this situation. I don't offer any apologies; rather, we belong at this level and should always reach the semi-finals.

Naturally, we have a greater range of options available to us now, which allows us to make up to six changes in tonight's match. However, we have yet to win a title and are content with our current position. We do not have any knowledge of our next competitor, but we are well-prepared.

Before they come back to this competition, there are some more games left. The Blues are set to play against Arsenal in the League Cup final on Sunday. After the international break, they will also face Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Hayes had taken into consideration the number of games Chelsea needed to play compared to their competitors, which influenced her decisions on which players to select for the team. Due to this, Lauren James, Sjoeke Nusken, and Niamh Charles were given a break, and Mayra Ramirez and Kadeisha Buchanan were substituted out just over 60 minutes into the game.

Honestly, Chelsea seemed like a squad that had competed in many matches in a limited timeframe at the beginning, and they almost unintentionally allowed Ajax an opportunity to come back into the game at the start of the initial half.

Erin Cuthbert made a brief pass backwards that did not have enough distance, prompting goalkeeper Zecira Musovic to leave her position. Musovic's attempt to clear the ball was obstructed by Tiny Hoekstra, and the ball almost went into the Chelsea net, bouncing only off the goal post and missing its mark.

Although The Blues defence appeared uncertain, they presented difficulties for Ajax in their penalty box. Guro Reiten nearly scored with a close shot that missed the far post by only a few inches.

Ajax gave a strong challenge, but it was clear that Chelsea would move forward against them.

Hayes was focused on Sunday's League Cup final as Lauren James was left out of the match.

. Once again, Chelsea has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League, marking the second consecutive year of this achievement.

Almost scoring the first goal, Aggie Beever-Jones made a strong run but unfortunately lost her footing before being able to take a shot.

However, Chelsea's persistence paid off as they managed to score in the 33rd minute. Reiten passed the ball to Ramirez, allowing the striker to make a run towards the goal and score by shooting the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Regina van Eijk and into the net.

Ramirez had the opportunity to double the lead before the half-time break, but unfortunately, he missed his chance and sent Beever-Jones' pass awry.

Chelsea were doing well but lost concentration just after the 60-minute mark and let Ajax equalize. Hoekstra passed the ball to Chastity Grant, who then shot the ball below Musovic.

Ajax had a good opportunity to win the game when Romee Leuchter quietly entered the penalty area and expertly shot the ball towards the far post. However, Musovic was able to make an outstanding save, skillfully tipping the ball around the post.

The goalie had to stay focused and use their skills to make an impressive save by directing Soraya Verhoeve's shot away from the goal.

In the added time, Catarina Macario attempted to score the winning goal but Van Eijk was quick to stretch and impede her shot.