Match report
I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s report from Meadow Park. Thanks for joining me, and bye for now.
And here’s a look at the late Ajax equaliser, with bonus excitable Dutch commentary.
Romée Leuchter ⚽️⚽️#UWCL #arsaja pic.twitter.com/kUX4GcnpQs
— Ajax Vrouwen (@AjaxVrouwen) September 20, 2022
It finished Rangers 2-3 Benfica at Ibrox – a narrow defeat for Malky Thomson’s side, but they still have hope of turning things around in the return leg next week. Here’s the moment the hosts went ahead through Kayla McCoy.
Perfect Cross. Perfect Header ⚡️#UWCL | @UWCL pic.twitter.com/ET1io6pR26
— Rangers Women (@RangersWFC) September 20, 2022
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I should add that, in line with the men’s tournament, there is no away-goals rule in the Women’s Champions League any more. Which is good news for Arsenal.
Full time: Arsenal 2-2 Ajax
It ends all square after a terrific, topsy-turvy encounter. Arsenal will be frustrated that they let the lead slip away when in control, but they have a second leg next week to get the job done.
95 mins: Kardinaal wins the ball from Foord and goes over, beset by cramp. The young centre-back has edged Romée Leuchter for my entirely inconsequential Woman of the Match award.
94 mins: From the corner, Rafaelle skews a tricky shot wide of the far post, to collective groans behind the goal.
92 mins: Another terrific last-ditch tackle – this time it’s Lisa Doorn who denies Kim Little a shot on goal. Eshly Bakker is on for Ajax, replacing Grant – it was her late overhead winner that did for Frankfurt in the last round.
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90 mins: Six minutes of stoppage time to come, as Beth Mead’s free-kick squirms through a crowd of players.
89 mins: Kardinaal clears a cross with her head, then gets over to the near post to deny Foord with a crunching tackle. Superb defensive work once again.
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87 mins: McCabe turns a free kick into the roof of the net – but the flag is up! She did look marginally offside, but it was close. There’s no VAR in the play-offs, but if Arsenal get to the group stages they will be able to utilise it at the Emirates.
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86 mins: Arsenal are still a little dazed, and Reuchter finds another good attacking position – but her speculative shot from 40-odd yards out is well wide.
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Ajax have been camped in their own half, but they get forward in numbers here, and Tiny Hoekstra turns her marker too easily. Her cross is half-cleared by Williamson and Pelova’s shot ricochets into the path of Leuchter, who flicks the ball beyond Zinsberger!
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GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Ajax (Leuchter 82')
Very much against the run of play, Ajax are level!
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Benfica have retaken the lead at Ibrox, with Paula Encinas on target. Rangers 2-3 Benfica, with 10 minutes or so to play.
80 mins: McCabe targets Foord again and the forward gets clattered by Kop. The flag was up, but that won’t be much comfort to Foord, left crumpled in a heap.
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78 mins: Isa Kardinaal gets across to cut out a McCabe through ball, aimed at Foord. The centre-back is only 17, but has looked very composed tonight – the only Ajax defender not to be booked.
76 mins: It looks like Foord will move up front, with McCabe dropping in on the left side of the three behind her.
75 mins: From the free kick, Steph Catley squeezes beyond the back line but sees her shot smothered by Kop.
74 mins: Caitlin Foord slaloms forward, and has her heels clipped by Noordam. Blackstenius heads off, replaced by Katie McCabe …
72 mins: Arsenal have lost some of that intensity, perhaps holding something back for a late assault on the tiring Ajax defence.
69 mins: Lisa Doorn joins two of her defensive cohorts in the book for a foul on Blackstenius.
67 mins: Kim Little requires treatment after another heavy challenge, but is OK to continue.
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65 mins: Foord wins a free kick 20 yards out after battling for the ball. Beth Mead takes it, but scoops her effort over the bar. Van der Most is booked for the challenge on Foord.
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63 mins: Miedema plays the ball back to Williamson, advancing from centre-back. With nobody closing her down, the England captain moves forwards and fires a 30-yarder just wide!
61 mins: Arsenal will be keen to take more than a one-goal cushion into the second leg – particularly with Ajax not playing in their league this week. A first change for the visitors here, Isabelle Hoekstra replacing Weerden on the wing.
Two quickfire goals at Ibrox, where Ana Vitoria scored her second goal to put Benfica ahead – only for McCoy to level with her second of the game moments later. It’s Rangers 2-2 Benfica.
60 mins: Ajax get forward but with Leuchter down and appealing in vain for a foul, Grant has little option but to try an ambitious effort that flies wide.
58 mins: Caitlin Foord is on, replacing Hurtig. Mead needed a bit of treatment for a possible head injury after that foul, but she is continuing for now.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Ajax (Little pen 57')
The captain waits for Kop to move, then strokes the ball into the other corner. Cool as you like!
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Penalty to Arsenal! The pressure tells, Soraya Verhoeve penalised for an unseemly shove on Beth Mead. She is booked, and Kim Little will take the spot kick …
54 mins: It feels like almost every Arsenal player has come close in this second half already. Blackstenius looks certain to score as she bursts beyond the defence – but Kop pushes the ball away as the striker tries to go round her.
53 mins: Hurtig is well marshalled by Chasity Grant, back on her own byline. From the corner, Rafaelle’s shot rattles the post!
51 mins: Maritz shoots from the corner of the area, Kop claws it away. Arsenal racking up the shots on goal here …
50 mins: Arsenal have started the second half with greater intensity, looking to unsettle a youthful Ajax back line that has held up very well so far. This time, Hurtig’s cutback is cleared behind, and Rafaelle heads wide from the corner.
49 mins: Miedema cuts in from the left side, dances around a defender and curls her shot just wide of the far corner. Moments later, Blackstenius tests Kop with a low effort from distance.
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47 mins: No changes for either team at half-time, but Arsenal make a quick start. Steph Catley muscles into the area, and her shot crashes off the outside of the post!
“Arsenal need a bit of oomph in midfield – Maanum on for Walti?” ponders Charles Antaki. “This would never have happened when Jill Roord was playing … the Old Days already.”
Peep!
The second half is under way.
Benfica have levelled at Ibrox – it’s 1-1 at half-time there. Two earlier playoff results to bring you: Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Køge in Denmark, while Lea Schuller got the only goal as Bayern Munich won 1-0 at Real Sociedad.
While you’re here, why not sign up for our weekly women’s football newsletter? Moving the Goalposts drops into inboxes every Wednesday, so you should get your first edition tomorrow.
Half time: Arsenal 1-1 Ajax
A very even and entertaining half, with Arsenal below their best and the visitors causing plenty of problems.
44 mins: More defensive uncertainty for Arsenal at the end of the half, with Leuchter getting in front of Rafaelle and forcing Zinsberger into a fine save at her near post! Catley acrobatically clears the rebound, and when the ball comes back into the area, Leuchter is offside.
42 mins: Blackstenius has looked a little isolated at times in the first half, but Mead, Miedema and Hurtig – all capable centre-forwards – are beginning to offer more support. Miedema gets a sight on goal here, but miscues her shot wide.
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40 mins: Beth Mead almost pounces on a through ball that catches out the Ajax back line, but Kop is off her line quickly to clear.
37 mins: Kim Little races onto the ball down the right, but her cut back is intercepted. Ajax clear the corner and break, but Weerden’s cross from the right is easily claimed by Zinsberger.
35 mins: Arsenal are trying to maintain possession higher up the pitch and slow the tempo a bit after that end-to-end first half-hour.
A big goal update from elsewhere: Rangers lead Benfica 1-0 through Kayla McCoy at Ibrox. That game also kicked off at 7.30pm, BST.
30 mins: It’s been a lively first half-hour, with Ajax posing plenty of threat but Arsenal showing they have an extra gear or two when required.
27 mins: Leah Williamson has strong words with her defensive colleagues, but moments later they’re back in trouble. Leuchter latches on to a through ball, but fires her shot straight at the keeper. Arsenal with some defensive issues to iron out, here.
26 mins: Ajax threaten again, with Van der Most’s dangerous cross fizzing past two forwards in the box …
25 mins: Vivianne Miedema, who has been deployed in a deeper role by Eidevall in recent months, closes down Kop’s clearance and the deflection loops just wide.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Ajax (Blackstenius 23')
She doesn’t miss this time! The centre forward reacts fastest after Rafaelle’s header came back off the bar from a corner.
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20 mins: A chance for the hosts to strike back, as Hurtig is brought down on the edge of the area. Beth Mead goes for goal, Kop spills the ball – but Blackstenius cannot hook the rebound inside the post.
Arsenal give the ball away cheaply from a throw-in and Ajax advance. As defenders back off Nadine Noordam, she threads a pinpoint through ball to Chasity Grant, whose low cross is turned home by Romée Leuchter!
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Ajax (Leuchter 17’)
The visitors have had the better openings so far, and now they lead after a lovely team goal!
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15 mins: Sherida Spitse has a shot from distance that’s well-struck, but comfortably held by Zinsberger.
14 mins: Maritz finds space down the right again, and her cross from the byline almost finds Hurtig, lurking near the far post.
“Van Gool on the Ajax bench is a wonderful example of nominative determinism in football,” notes Peter Oh. I also feel like keeper Kop is destined to join Liverpool one day.
10 mins: Arsenal are yet to put any real pressure on the visitors, who have been lively and well-organised. Maritz hooks in a cross from deep on the right, but Lize Kop is off her line to claim it.
Apologies for the slightly slow start there – it seems the only way to watch this game live (in the UK, at least) is via the Arsenal website, on a stream that took a minute or two to click into gear.
4 mins: An early chance for the visitors here, though, as Weerden wins the ball on the edge of the Arsenal area and finds Pelova, whose shot is parried away by Zinsberger.
3 mins: Arsenal, in their traditional red and white, are moving the ball around in midfield while Ajax, kitted out in all-navy, are pressing with intent.
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Peep!
We are under way at Meadow Park.
Something to bookmark for later: Women’s Football Weekly returns, with a full review of the opening round of WSL fixtures and more.
Just three changes from the WSL win over Brighton for Arsenal, with both full-backs replaced – Noëlle Maritz replacing Laura Wienrother, Steph Catley in for Katie McCabe. Lina Hurtig, who signed this summer from Juventus, makes her first start in place of Caitlin Foord.
Unlike Arsenal’s multi-national lineup, Ajax’s squad is comprised only from Dutch players. Rising stars Victoria Pelova and Romée Leuchter can cause the hosts problems, while the captain, Sherida Spitse, is also the skipper for her national team.
Team news
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Zinsberger; Maritz, Williamson, Rafaelle, Catley; Wälti, Little (c); Mead, Miedema, Hurtig; Blackstenius.
Subs: Marckese, Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Nobbs, Maanum, McCabe, Foord, Wienroither, Agyemany, Earl, Reid.
Ajax (4-3-3): Kop; Van der Most, Kardinaal, Doorn, Verhoeve; Noordam, Spitse (c), Pelova; Grant, Leuchter, Weerden.
Subs: Bussman, Van der Wal, Munsterman, Tromp, Kruize, Keijzer, Hoekstra, Bakker, Van Gool, Sabajo.
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Preamble
After their routine opening WSL win over Brighton was made to look far less routine by Manchester City and Chelsea’s subsequent slip-ups, Arsenal have the chance to maintain their strong start to the season by claiming a place in the Champions League group stages.
Finishing second to Chelsea in the league last season means Jonas Eidevall’s side avoided the tricky round of mini-knockouts that put paid to Manchester City’s hopes. Instead, they begin in the final qualifying round, a two-legged playoff with the Dutch runners-up, Ajax, who overcame Eintracht Frankfurt to get here.
An emerging rather than established European force in the women’s game, Ajax’s deepest run in this tournament came in 2018-19, when they lost 13-0 on aggregate to Lyon in the last 16. Arsenal will be very warm favourites to progress but cannot afford to underestimate a side with plenty of young attacking talent.
With the North London derby at the Emirates on Saturday, a return leg in Amsterdam next week and new signings to bed in, Eidevall has a few tricky selection calls to make to keep his team fresh while avoiding a dreaded early European exit. Kick-off is at 7.30pm.
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