After a 0-6 victory in the first leg, it couldn’t have gone wrong, but now we know for sure: the Ajax women’s team has qualified for the Champions League. There was no second monster score, but thanks to a double hit from Romée Leuchter they did win: 2-0.
Shortly after the match it also became clear that the team’s home games in the Champions League will be played in the Arena.
Compared to the first match, little happened in Amsterdam tonight. Ajax started the first half well and also created chances, but after the opening phase the team’s level dropped. On the other hand, Zurich was also unable to do much, so the players went to tea with a 0-0 score.
Pole
After the break, Suzanne Bakker’s team seemed to get back on track. This resulted in a chance for Leuchter after ten minutes, who headed home from an Ashleigh Weerden cross. Via the keeper, who was unable to clear the ball properly, the ball eventually hit the post
Leuchter would later make the difference: just over fifteen minutes before half-time, she scored from a free kick. The shot seemed tenable, but was handled poorly by the goalkeeper, who saw the ball slip between her hands and into the goal.
From the book
Not much later, Leuchter doubled the score. This time thanks to a well-designed attack: center defender Kay-lee de Sanders played hard on playmaker Lily Yohannes, who immediately passed the ball to Danique Noordman. The substitute passed from the right to Leuchter, who scored ice-cold just before the goal: 2-0.
Club top scorer
With her two goals, Leuchter once again underlined her scoring drive. Since the summer she has already scored eleven times for Ajax. A number that makes her by far the club’s top scorer this season. The number two on that list, Mohammed Kudus, who has since left for West Ham United, scored four goals for the men’s team.
It is the first time that Ajax qualifies for the new format of the Champions League, which was overhauled in 2021. While the tournament previously only consisted of knockout rounds, the clubs now start in a group phase with a total of four teams.
In addition, there is a lot more money to be made in the new setup. The amount of money given out depending on performance has increased four times since 2021.
💬 Don’t want to miss anything from Amsterdam?
Seen a typo? Let us know via [email protected]