Needing a victory over Roma to keep their fate in their own hands, AFC Ajax welcomed the Italian side to Amsterdam on Tuesday night. Having never reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League before, victory would prove to be monumental for Tuesday’s hosts.
AJA: van Eijk; Weerden, de Sanders, Spitse, Keijzer; van Gool, Noordam; Hoekstra, Johannes, Grant; Leuchter
ASR: Ceasar; Di Guglielmo, Linari, Minami, Bartoli; Kumagai; Viens, Feiersinger, Giugliano, Haavi; Giacinti
Ajax’s hopes of progression looked to be severely dented after half an hour, when Roma’s Eisa Bartoli nodded a header past Regina van Eijk to send the Italian visitors into an early lead.
But on the stroke of half-time, Lily Yohannes proved her worth once again at the heart of the Ajax midfielder – with the 16-year-old teeing up Tiny Hoekstra for the crucial leveller.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd just six minutes from time, it was a crushing mistake from Roma’s Zara Kramžar that sealed Ajax’s progression to their first-ever European quarterfinal as the substitute flicked Sherida Spitse’s corner into the back of her own net.
Ajax finish as runners-up in Group C, with Paris Saint-Germain progressing as the group winners. The Dutch side will be unseeded for the next round, and could be selected to face either Chelsea, Barcelona, Lyon or PSG when the draw takes place next Tuesday.
