Real Madrid 1-4 AFC Ajax: 5 Hits and Flops

#4 Hit: Marco Asensio

Asensio was one of few bright sparks for Real, coming off the bench once again

Marco Asensio's impact has been stifled somewhat this season with regular minutes hard to come by at times. However on an occasion where Real needed some creative impetus to get them back into proceedings, the 23-year-old Spaniard was comfortable delivering exactly that - which begs the question, why did he not start?

He scored the winner in Amsterdam three weeks ago and netted Real's only goal during this one too, a well-taken one-touch finish just inside the box which left goalkeeper Andre Onana no chance as it flew in off the far post.

On as a 34th-minute replacement for the injured Vinicius Júnior, he impressed and unsurprisingly proved a nuisance for Ajax to contend with. Two key passes, three dribbles completed, fouled on three occasions too, Asensio's introduction wasn't felt immediately but you could see him doing his utmost to will the hosts back into a match they deserved to lose.

For that and another bright display, it does his reputation no harm. Having said that though, consistency is the key for him now to assert himself in the upper echelon of creative talents.