3 Reasons why Real Madrid lost to Ajax

#1 Dusan Tadic

Dusan Tadic was simply scintillating on the night

The Serbian has been a bit of an enigma over the years. Having carved a niche for himself with FC Twente, he pursued newer pastures and ended up at Southampton. On the south coast, he showcased his genius at times but didn’t do justice to his vast talent. However, since moving back to Netherlands with Ajax, he has looked a man possessed.

In the second leg, Dusan Tadic produced one of the best individual performances at the Santiago Bernabeu this decade. The Serbian was entrusted with playing as a false nine and he fulfilled his role with aplomb.

The forward dragged the Real Madrid defence into uncomfortable areas with his propensity to drop into midfield causing headaches. He expertly linked up with his teammates and laid on two assists. Though the first was relatively straight-forward, the second smacked of class and confidence in equal measure.

The Serbian found himself in a spot of bother in the middle. But, instead of going backwards, he held onto the ball, adroitly pirouetted beyond the defenders and played a perfectly weighted pass for Neres.

He capped off his display with an equally sumptuous goal to kill the tie. After being found in space on the edge of the box, he cut inside dexterously and smashed a shot into the top corner.

In the years gone by, not many players have come to the Bernabeu and run the show on their own. (a certain Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho spring to mind)

Yet, Tadic arrived in the Spanish capital on Tuesday, grabbed the bull by the horns and single-handedly powered Ajax into the last eight.