Chelsea Women will grace the Women’s Champions League semi-finals for a second successive season after a 4-1 aggregate quarter-final win over Ajax last night.
Mayra Ramirez’s first goal in Europe opened the scoring in west London with just over half an hour gone. A tetchy few moments for the hosts gave way to a sniff of a chance which the club’s record-signing took without fuss on her European debut.
But Ajax arrived in England with a point to prove after their 3-0 thrashing and despite the mountain to climb, the visitors made a compelling contest of it. Chastity Grant deservedly levelled the second leg as she slipped a low-driven shot under Chelsea keeper Zecira Musovic following some good pressure from the visitors after the interval.
Yet the 1-1 second-leg draw wasn’t enough to overcome the first leg’s score line and a comprehensive away performance from the Blues not only extended their unbeaten European run to nine (their best in the competition) but guaranteed passage through to the semi-finals for a second season in a row. Chelsea will face the winners of Barcelona and Brann’s quarter-final tie.
Earlier, Delphine Cascarino scored twice as eight-time winners Lyon beat Benfica to progress to the semi-finals.
Lyon led 2-1 from the first leg and a goal in each half from the France winger helped them reach the last four for a 13th time.
Benfica had equalised on the night when Marie-Yasmine Alidou slid in to score.
But Cascarino put Lyon back in front and Kadidiatou Diani’s late double sealed the success.
Lyon had dominated the first half but failed to make the most of their chances.
They claimed a 43rd-minute opener when striker Eugenie Le Sommer beat Benfica goalkeeper Lena Pauels to a loose backpass and then laid the ball off for Cascarino to calmly lift into an unguarded net.
Benfica responded two minutes later, with Chandra Davidson running on to Kika’s defence-splitting through-ball and squaring for Alidou to convert at the far post.
Six minutes into the second half, though, Sonia Bompastor’s side regained their two-goal aggregate advantage.
Cascarino drove in from the left, skipped past two defenders and powered a shot into the bottom corner.
The hosts wasted opportunities to add to their tally but settled the outcome in stoppage time.
Diani’s 91st-minute shot deflected into the bottom corner after Benfica failed to deal with a cross and the forward got her second with almost the last kick of the game.
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