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It was a spectacularly disastrous night for the defending champions as Dutch giants Ajax steamrolled past the 13-time winners to progress to the quarter-finals on a 5-3 aggregate lead. This result means Ajax have progressed from a knockout tie of the Champions League for the first time since the 1996-97 season when they beat Atletico, only to be knocked out by Juve in the semis.
The game started brightly for Madrid, with the holders looking to crush Ajax's hopes early on, and Varane came incredibly close to doing just that but his header in the 6th minute struck the woodwork and lead to an Ajax counter that would amount to the first goal scored by Hakim Ziyech, who was set up brilliantly by Man of the Match Dusan Tadic, who made absolute fools out of the defending champions' defence at their own home.
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Things just kept on getting worse for Madrid as the former Southampton player absolutely destroyed Madrid's midfield and defensive lines with an exquisite Cryuff turn and set up David Neres, and the Brazilian chipped over Courtois, whose technique and positioning for that goal was iffy, at best. Ramos who was banned from the match was clearly missed.
Madrid lost Lucas Vasquez and Vinicius Jr. in a span of fewer than 10 minutes before the halftime whistle. While Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio tried their best to get back in the game, they were unsuccessful. The latter eventually scored Madrid's first home goal in over 4 hours of football in all competitions. Ajax, who had a goal ruled out by VAR last time the sides met, were allowed to score a controversial goal, as the ball clearly went out of play before the ball reached Van der Beek, who set up Tadic for Ajax's third goal of the night.
Just a minute after Asensio scored, Ajax midfielder Lasse Schone curled in a truly spectacular effort from an improbable angle, although Courtois was again caught napping when the ball was played in. Here are some observations from the game.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
#1 Solari isn't the man for the task
Replacing Zizou and create Ronaldo's 60 goals a season with current players was always going to be a more than tedious task. The Argentine manager lost two El Clasico hosted at the Bernebau in the space of four days, and their Champions League performance was absolutely shambolic in every sense of the word as Real imploded and were outclassed by Ajax. The previous manager, Julen Lopetegui, failed in his job too before he was sacked from his role.
Under Solari, Madrid have had only the progress of youngsters such as Reguilon and Vinicius as glaring positives in what has been a bitterly disappointing season for Madrid. The senior players are not living up to their reputation and it looks like Madrid will end the season empty-handed. They are a far cry from the La Liga title race and have been knocked out of Copa del Rey. There is little left to play for Solari. Perhaps, the board will look to appoint a new coach like Pochettino or re-appoint Jose Mourinho.
#2 Dusan Tadic has written himself in Ajax folklore
In what has been perhaps one of the most under the radar, but astonishingly effective moves from the summer, Dusan Tadic has represented a neat piece of business by Ajax. The Serbian winger has gone from struggling to stay afloat in the Premier League to tearing it up at the Santiago Bernebau in the Champions League knockout stage in a span of fewer than 10 months. His performance against Real will be remembered by Ajax fans for years to come.
The 30-year-old Serb has scored 26 goals in all competitions this season, also whipping up 7 assists in the league, but tonight's display was unlike anything he's ever shown on a stage so grandiose. His exquisite skill, technique and vision were all a class above everyone else, and he could have had a hat-trick of assists had Ziyech not missed a 6-yard sitter late in the second half. It was an era-defining display by the once relegation battler. Ajax could have lost the game and crashed out of the Round of 16 if not for him.
#3 Benzema, Bale, Kroos, Courtois all deserve some time off
Real Madrid lost their third game at home in a week, having scored just once in three fixtures whilst conceding 8 goals. The results from these three games have changed the complexion of the season entirely, as Madrid now sit 12 points off the top in La Liga, exit the Copa del Rey, and are disgracefully dispatched by a combination of bad luck, dodgy VAR and some beautiful, beautiful football.
Madrid had almost 58% of the ball, creating 20 chances to Ajax's 16, but were horrible in execution in the final third. The team struck the post twice. Gareth Bale was brought on for Vasquez for an hour, so was Asensio for Vinicius. Benzema is considered by Solari as his only option up front, but all players have let down fans time and time again this season.
The loss to Ajax felt like the breaking point for fans who are eagerly waiting for an answer from the club hierarchy regarding their current state. Kroos and Courtois were completely off the pace, as was Benzema and Bale. Given Courtois' ability, the free-kick was something the Belgian keeper could have done better and not conceded. Surely, something has got to change.
#4 Investments in the summer a must for Real
Perez decided to try his luck whilst attempting to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and his huge goalscoring records with Benzema, Bale, Asensio, Vinícius Júnior and Mariano. That plan has clearly not worked out for either the club nor the president, as Madrid's season is officially over on all fronts after one disastrous week mixed with suspensions, bad luck, horrible finishing and just a massive gulf in class. At this moment, no one seems capable of replacing Ronaldo.
The Champions of Europe got bossed at their own home ground for the third time this week, and surely, this must be enough to convince Perez that it's time to invest money in new players. That could give this squad the proper revamp that they need right now and make Madrid start looking like contenders again.
A presence or two in the front three, defensive cover and a creative spark in the middle are direly needed in the Capital of Spain, as Real Madrid must do everything they can to bounce back from this transitional season. Or else, the team could just keep deteriorating and experience a trophy drought.
