Real Madrid Women saw off Ajax 2:1 in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Champions League at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano on Tuesday evening. The result keeps their hopes alive in what has been a busy August for both sides, with Madrid having beaten the Dutch club 2:0 just days earlier on 26 August.
Ajax took the lead first, Katja Snoeijs finding the net in the 48th minute to give the visitors a surprise advantage. Real responded with purpose, Felicia Schröder equalising ten minutes later to set up a tense finish. There were changes all around as both managers reshuffled their cards.
By then the match had settled into something more calculated. Real Madrid made several substitutions in quick succession, bringing on Sandie Toletti in the 54th minute and later Kealyn Manou Sigrid Thomas alongside Jade van Hensbergen in the 68th. Ajax matched them move for move, with Ella Touon Mbenoun, Filippa Angeldal and Lotte Jasmijn Keukelaar among those brought off.
And here's the thing about the numbers that followed. Real Madrid registered ten shots on target compared to Ajax's two, though the Dutch side held a slight edge in possession at 51.75 percent. Three yellow cards for the hosts, one for Ajax, and that was about it for disciplinary trouble.
To be fair, Real Madrid had looked solid in their recent run. A 3:2 win over Atlético Madrid on 30 August, followed by that earlier victory over Ajax, and they were certainly picking up momentum. Ajax, meanwhile, had started their season well with wins over PEC Zwolle Women, Utrecht Women, Rangers Women and Brondbj before falling short here.
The final whistle brought a narrow win for the hosts, who now sit one step closer to progressing. It was not a game of open running, but rather one decided in moments, and Real Madrid had the sharper eye when it mattered most.
