Mayra Ramírez opener eases Chelsea into WCL semi-finals despite Ajax rally

Chelsea progressed to the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League despite being held at Stamford Bridge by a stubborn Ajax. Mayra Ramírez fired the hosts ahead before Chasity Grant levelled in the second half to ensure parity on the night. It mattered little, however, as Chelsea went through 4-1 on aggregate.

It has been a relentless month for Emma Hayes’ side with this tie their seventh fixture in March. This, combined with the fact that Chelsea had brought a comfortable 3-0 lead back home from Amsterdam, meant that mass rotation was understandable. There were seven alterations to the lineup that had started in their league victory over West Ham with Zecira Musovic getting a relatively rare outing in goal and Fran Kirby returning to support the attack after making her 200th appearance for the club at the weekend. Ramírez, meanwhile, finally made her Champions League debut for her new club after returning from injury.

Despite the first leg score, Suzanne Bakker’s young Ajax team have proved they cannot be underestimated in their debut at this stage of the competition. Hayes’ and Erin Cuthbert’s pre-match warnings against complacency were testament to the threat they can pose. They welcomed back their experienced captain Sherida Spitse to bolster their defensive line while Jonna van de Velde came in for the suspended 16-year-old star Lily Yohannes.

Chelsea were right to be wary of the plucky visitors as Ajax came out with intensity and determination to try to lessen the deficit. Spitse headed a corner narrowly over the bar in the opening stages before Nadine Noordam almost profited from a Musovic error, Jess Carter recovering well to spare her goalkeeper’s blushes.

No matter how much Ajax pushed, however, Chelsea’s multiple threats in attack were always present. Aggie Beever-Jones had the beating of Daliyah de Klonia down the right from the whistle and it was through her that the hosts’ best moves came. She set up Cuthbert with a pinpoint cross that the Chelsea captain could only turn wide at the near post.

The first half ebbed and flowed, and Ajax should have punished the Blues’ lax possession. Romée Leuchter almost capitalised on a turnover but dragged her effort wide before Tiny Hoekstra charged down Musovic’s clearance only for it to trickle narrowly past the post.

When playing this experienced Chelsea team, you have to take your chances or they will punish you. That is exactly what Hayes’ side did with half an hour played. Cuthbert won the ball back brilliantly in the middle and Guro Reiten played it perfectly through to Ramírez. The Colombia international possesses incredible pace and there was nothing Regina van Eijk could do as she bore down on goal to turn the ball home. She should have had a second before the break, turning a shot over from six yards out but the hosts went in at half-time content to have consolidated their aggregate lead.

Bakker relieved the struggling De Klonia at the break, bringing on 20-year-old Dutch defender Milicia Keijzer to try to nullify Beever-Jones’s potency going forward. Her team started the second half with renewed intent and Leuchter had two chances early on that were kept out well by Musovic.

With Chelsea struggling to regain a foothold in the game, the visitors were rewarded for their continued efforts with an equaliser. Hoekstra spotted the run of Grant through the middle and picked her out perfectly. With Musovic rushing out of her goal, the attacker took aim and the ball nestled in the back of the net despite the keeper getting a hand to it. On reflection, she will know she should have done better.

It was a goal that saw Hayes ring the changes bringing on the attacking threat of Jelena Cankovic and Catarina Macario to try to kickstart their attack. They had little effect, however, as Ajax continued to threaten. Musovic made up for her earlier error when she tipped goalbound efforts from Leuchter and Danique Tolhoek wide. As the whistle blew, Chelsea booked their place in the next round knowing they had been sternly tested on home soil.