Ajax Women secured a good starting position on Wednesday to reach the main tournament of the European Cup. The Amsterdam team drew 0-0 against Grasshoppers in the first leg of the second qualifying round.
In the atmosphere-less Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, which was still a stadium for the European Championship last summer, very little happened in the first half. Ajax was the better team, but did not create any chances.
The uninspiring match took a different turn when Grasshopper defender Melanie Müller received a red card for bringing down a player who was through on goal. With twenty minutes left on the clock, this was the prelude for Ajax to start a final offensive.
Ajax had chance after chance to travel to Amsterdam with a better starting position. But various attempts were cleared off the line and Grasshoppers goalkeeper Lauren Kozal also had a number of good saves.
Due to the draw, Ajax has a good starting position to reach the main tournament of the European Cup. The return match will be next Thursday at De Toekomst. The winner of the two-legged match qualifies for the knockout phase of the second European tournament for women.
The European Cup will be held for the first time this season. PSV Women is also active in the tournament. The Eindhoven team will play a two-legged match against Dinamo Minsk for a place in the main tournament. The first leg is next Thursday.