The match had a typical pre-season feel as the Blues made wholesale changes in the second half and used the entire bench during the match.

After Guro Reiten scored with 20 minutes to play, it looked like the game had been sewn up, only for opposition forward Danique Tolhoek to net the equaliser in the dying minutes of the match.

For Bompastor, that isn’t the Chelsea way.

‘We played a good game,’ said the boss. ‘I think for the second friendly game in pre-season, it was a good performance.

‘The result is not the most important thing at this stage of the season, but I was frustrated because we conceded the goal in added time at the end. I just told my players that with a Chelsea mentality, we shouldn't have conceded that goal, and that's always frustrating.

‘But there were a lot of positives. I was pleased with the build-up play in the game today, but also in the creation phase. We did a lot of positive things as a team, as individuals, and I think also we could have been better in the finishing phase. It’s only the second game, so we need to take the positives and the room for improvement and keep working hard, making sure we are ready for the first game of the season.’

New signings Mara Alber, Ellie Carpenter and Livia Peng all started the match, as did Veerle Buurman, who has now returned from a season-long loan at PSV.

The minutes they played were proof enough for Bompastor that they had all understood how Chelsea play as well as their respective roles in the side.

‘In this camp, they played some minutes against Utrecht and again today,’ she continued. ‘All of them are in a good place in terms of understanding the game model. I think they all had a good performance.

‘Now, the main focus for us is giving them minutes so they feel ready mentally and physically. Overall, we are in a good place. They understand what we want to achieve as a team, what they need to achieve individually on the pitch, and I'm pleased with that.'

The boss also handed some minutes to the youngsters, with Ashanti Akpan, Eva Hendle, Lexi Potter, and Lois Shooter all seeing action against Ajax.

Second-half substitutions saw the quartet mixed in with the senior professionals, and Bompastor explained that a pre-season game was the ideal opportunity for them to gain some invaluable experience.

‘I think that's crucial for them to be involved in these games,’ the boss continued. ‘Ajax are a really good team, and are also in their pre-season. For the young players to be able to play minutes with the first team at the highest level is good for their development. They need to learn from these games.’

The match marked the end of a six-day training camp in the Netherlands, which saw the team complete some intense physical training, team-bonding exercises and gain some minutes on the pitch too.

While there is some inevitable fatigue from such a punishing schedule, Bompastor feels the side are right on track to be ready for the first match of the season against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Friday 5 September and the boss called for fans to turn out in their numbers under the lights.

‘I like the mentality and the hard work the team put into this camp in the past few days,’ said Bompastor on Sunday afternoon. ‘We are going home today, we have a lot of fatigue, but it's a good fatigue for us. We still have time to prepare for the game against Man City.

‘It’s exciting to start the season at Stamford Bridge with our fans. Last season, they made us feel so special when we were playing there. I know it’s really special for the players as well. I’m excited to open the season against Man City, a big team, a big opponent.

‘We are looking forward to being ready for that game, to hopefully have a good game and share that with the fans at the end. Hopefully, they'll come with a lot of people to the stadium, and we will be able to feel their support.’

See Chelsea in action at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City in the first Women's Super League game of the season on 5 September at 7.30pm! Secure your tickets for that fixture here.