Ajax 0-3 Chelsea: Visitors ease to victory in Amsterdam

A Lauren James goal and Sjoeke Nüsken's double gave Chelsea a huge advantage to take into next week's return fixture as they defeated first-time quarter-finalists Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam.

Match in brief: Dominant Chelsea ease to win

Ajax began brightly and had the first big chance of the match when Romée Leuchter was unlucky to see her placed effort come back off the foot of Hannah Hampton's left-hand post. It was a promising start – but ultimately as close as the Dutch side would get.

Chelsea's opener came on 19 minutes but was only given following a video review. Lauren James' effort, after an Erin Cuthbert pass had come off two home defenders, was initially ruled out, but the visitors soon had their lead and they were able to extend it before the break.

Guro Reiten thought she had doubled it but her attempt was ruled out after another review showed Sjoeke Nüsken to be offside. Undeterred, Reiten's reaction was immediate as she set up Nüsken to slide in the second.

Chelsea were comfortable after the interval and added one more goal, Nüsken heading in a perfect cross from debutant Macario as she made her first Women's Champions League appearance since the 2022 final.

Lauren James broke the deadlockChelsea FC via Getty Images

Visa Player of the Match: Sjoeke Nüsken

"She was involved in many offensive actions, created chances, had chances and scored twice. She always kept the ball and came up with good solutions, always running into spaces and good positions as well as creating spaces for others. She won a lot of balls when pressing, switching immediately in both directions."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Two-goal Sjoeke Nüsken got the individual player accoladeUEFA via Getty Images

Paul Saffer, match reporter

Chelsea were clinical in the first half and solid in the second to leave themselves in sight of making it five successes in five Women's Champions League quarter-final appearances. Ajax more than held their own to the appreciation of their record crowd, but Chelsea allowed them few clear sights of goal and the Blues' mobility and tenacity in attack has given them an invaluable lead.

Chelsea hold the initiative going into the second legUEFA via Getty Images

Reaction

Sjoeke Nüsken, Chelsea midfielder and VISA Player of the Match: “I am very happy about the win, about our performance. We did very well, I think we improved our play and we are happy to win. I think we kept ball very well and we were very aggressive.”

Lily Yohannes, Ajax midfielder: “I think it wasn’t good enough today. All around we weren’t able to find a solution in the build-up. Chelsea's press was great. Then when we played long balls, we weren’t winning the first ball or second ball and then the game becomes difficult.”

Emma Hayes, Chelsea manager: “It was a really professional performance from the team. We defended solidly, as we have been doing. We had outstanding performances from Buchanan and Nüsken in particular, but the team as a whole, you could see they were confident and delighted to get the third goal.”

Suzanne Bakker, Ajax coach: “Chelsea were more ruthless in the box, and the speed of their passing made the difference. We realise there is a big gap [in the scoreline for the second leg], but we will do everything we can to turn the game and as we say in the Netherlands, the ball is round…”

Key stats

• Chelsea have now won the first leg in each of their five Women's Champions League quarter-final ties.
• Emma Hayes' team have also won each of their last eight matches away from home in all competitions.
• The result is Ajax's first home defeat in the Women's Champions League this season, following wins in each of their previous fixtures in Amsterdam.

• Ajax's Lily Yohannes is the first 16-year-old to feature in a Women's Champions League quarter-final since Chelsea's Jess Carter, then of Birmingham City, in 2014.
• The match attendance of 35,997 is a new record for a women's fixture in the Netherlands.

Line-ups

Ajax: van Eijk; Keijzer, Kardinaal, De Sanders, de Klonia; Noordam, van Gool (Noordman 87), Yohannes (van de Velde 66); Grant, Leuchter, T. Hoekstra (Keukelaar 73)

Chelsea: Hampton; Périsset, Carter, Buchanan, Charles (beever-Jones 87); Nüsken, Leupolz (Ingle 87), Cuthbert (Čanković 84); Rytting Kaneryd (Lawrence 73), James (Macario 74), Reiten