“We kept fighting”: Why Ajax gained a dramatic win over Eintracht Frankfurt in UWCL qualifying – tactical analysis

Many women’s football teams have been spending the past weeks back on the training ground and preparing for the new season, with coaches busy looking for hidden gems in the transfer market and finalising their tactics. Whilst most domestic campaigns have yet to begin, those teams who qualified for the 2022/2023 Women’s Champions League’s initial stages saw their first competitive action of the season last week, with plenty hoping for a long run in the competition.

The road to the final in Eindhoven began with the first qualifying round, which saw clubs put into four-team mini-tournaments and competing in a “semi-final” match and then either a “final” or a 3^rd/4^th playoff. Only the winners of the semi-finals and then the finals remained in the competition though, and two of those sides who met in a final were Ajax Vrouwen and Eintracht Frankfurt Frauen, who defeated Kristianstads and Fortuna Hjørring (the latter of whom lost manager Brian Sørensen to Everton Women this summer) respectively.

Both went into the match with a good chance of winning it, and, as this tactical analysis will show, it turned out to be an open game with both sides having opportunities to seal their place in the next round. The analysis will focus specifically on the importance of Ajax’s attacking tactics to their eventual win, most notably their pressing, as well as why Frankfurt benefitted from changes made at half-time but still ended up falling short.

Lineups

Ajax Vrouwen made just one change from their win over Kristianstads, with Soraya Verhoeve moving to the bench and Liza van der Most coming in, meaning that Isa Kardinaal switched to left-back for this one. Otherwise, head coach Suzanne Bakker opted for continuity, keeping the same team that defeated the Swedish side 3-1, meaning that Netherlands internationals Victoria Pelova and Sherida Spitse, who both featured for their country at Euro 2022, were again joined by Quinty Sabajo in the midfield whilst Romée Leuchter kept her place at the top of the pitch.

Eintracht Frankfurt Frauen also opted for a single change, having kept a clean sheet against 2021/2022 Danish runners-up Fortuna. Switzerland international Géraldine Reuteler was the one who dropped to the bench, with Slovenia striker Lara Prašnikar joining Germany’s Laura Freigang in a front two, whilst captain Tanja Pawollek switched to midfield from defence as Sjoeke Nüsken took up a new position on the right wing. Sophia Kleinherne moved to the centre of the defensive line, partnering Sara Doorsoun, with the new face in the XI being Anna Aehling, who started at right-back.