UWCL Tuesday Round-up: Chelsea trump Lyon as Ucheibe shines against Benfica in quarter-final clashes

Chelsea's victory over Ajax highlighted their dominance, while Ucheibe's stellar performance against Lyon showcased her exceptional talent.

Chelsea and Lyon, the two favourites in their respective clashes against Ajax and Benfica, have shunned the dramatic, refusing to be upset by their rivals. 

The Blues travelled to the Netherlands and picked up a comfortable 3-0 victory over Ajax, while Lyon, on the other hand, though made to sweat for it, got the job done with a 2-1 victory over Benfica. 

Chelsea vs Ajax

Ajax, after an impressive group stage run in which they finished above the likes of Bayern Munich and Roma to qualify, had to face Women's Super League champions Chelsea, who won their group over Hacken, Real Madrid and Chiamaka Nnadozie’s Paris FC.  

The Dutch side played host to the clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena and gave their fans something to cheer in the opening exchanges, as they started brightly and even hit the crossbar. 

The difference in quality soon became evident, and Chelsea were on top of them. The Blues soon took the lead in the 19th minute, thanks to Lauren James.

German attacker Sjoeke Nusken, who shone against Arsenal over the weekend, made it two just before half-time, as she reacted sharper than the defenders, marking her to turn in Guro Reiten's low delivery. 

Nusken made it three on the 83rd-minute mark, heading effortlessly past Regina Van Eijk. 

Chelsea host the return leg on March 27th, looking to close out the tie after a healthy first-leg lead, while Ajax might have left themselves too much to do to qualify. 

Uchebe shines against Lyon

The record champions Lyon turned up at the iconic Estadio da Luz to face a stubborn and defensively mean Benfica side that even Barcelona failed to beat at home. 

The hosts lined up with a 3-5-2, with the backline consisting of Lais Araujo, Carole Costa, and the Nigerian, Christy Uchebe, tasked with holding off the devastating offensive line of Lyon, starring record goal scorer Eugenie Le Sommer, flanked by two exciting wingers: Kadidiatou Diani and Delphine Cascarino. 

Benfica’s grit and dogged determination complicated the tie for Lyon, who struggled to break down the hosts in the first-half. 

Benfica set up a mid-block and were devastating in transitions. Their efforts were rewarded just before half-time, when Andreia Faria latched onto a loose ball and ran half the length of the pitch, with the closest Lyon defender behind her, before finishing coolly past Christine Endler. 

The hosts resumed from whence they stopped at half-time and came agonisingly close to doubling their advantage but for poor decision-making in the final third. 

Ucheibe was unassailable against Cascarino, and Araujo was doing a similar job against Diani, forcing coach Sonia Bompastor to swap their flanks, as well as bringing in Damaris Egurrola Wienke and Melchie Dumornay in place of the struggling Le Sommer and Amel Majri. 

These changes and Lyon’s relentless onslaughts soon saw them claw their way back into the game, with Cascarino scoring the equaliser in the 63rd minute. 

They turned the tie in the 79th minute when Sara Dabritz headed past Lena Pauels.

Benfica's intensity in the first-half seemed to have come at a cost, as they could not muster a counter offence. Lyon could have increased their margin, but the tie ended in a 2-1 draw. 

Numbers behind Ucheibe’s performance 

The Nigerian, who stood out in her holding midfield role for the Super Falcons at the World Cup, was given a job at left centre-back for this clash, one which she executed with aplomb. 

She made a whopping eight clearances (most in the game), completed three tackles and three interceptions, all the while completing five long passes. 

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