Ajax dumped three-time reigning champions Real Madrid out of the Champions League in sensational style – subjecting the home side to an embarrassing 4-1 thrashing at the Santiago Bernabeu to progress to the quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate.
The young Dutch side got the early goal they craved when pressure applied to the Real back line gifted the ball to Dusan Tadic – he teed up Hakim Ziyech who calmly side-footed his side in front in the seventh minute.
Eleven minutes later the Bernabeu was stunned into silence when the Eredivisie side took the lead on aggregate – Tadic again the supplier.
He notched himself to make it 3-0 in the second half before Lasse Schone’s stunning free-kick killed off Santiago Solari’s side.
Here is a closer look at the architect of both opening Ajax goals and scorer of the killer third, Tadic.
STATISTICS
Goals – 1
Assists – 2
Shots – 2
Shots on target – 2
Touches – 44
Key passes – 5
Pass accuracy – 72.4 %
Dribbles – 3
Fouled – 1
30-SECOND REPORT
Dusan Tadic celebrates with Hakim Ziyech after he set up the Moroccan for Ajax’s opener.
Real might have edged the first leg 2-1, but their flaws were brutally laid bare in front of their own fans – Ajax surging into a quickfire 2-0 lead.
The absence of Sergio Ramos was telling as they lacked leadership and organisation at the back, young left-back Sergio Reguilon enduring a particularly chastening evening.
Real’s misery was compounded by the fact that Lucas Vazquez – who started the game in favour of the out-of-sorts Gareth Bale – was forced off early on, with Vinicius Junior, arguably Los Blancos’ sole shining light this season, soon following him down the tunnel.
They had moments of their own – twice hitting the bar as well as Marco Asensio’s consolation strike – but they always looked horribly susceptible on the break with Ajax’s rapid young frontline cutting them open at will.
GOT RIGHT
Conducting the chaos – In an attack brimming with such young talent, Tadic is sort of the odd man out, being the only player in Ajax’s attacking quartet not in his 20s. Tadic, 30, has 25-year-old Ziyech as well as David Neres, 22, and Donny van de Beek, 21, behind him – yet he was the old head leading these young starlets into the last eight.
He calmly teed up Ziyech for the opener before his sublime run, pirouette and insight found Neres for the second. He was always on the periphery and his strike to make it 3-0 was simply unstoppable.
Pulling the strings – With Madrid looking threatening throughout, and desperately searching for a goal after falling two down, there were always opportunities for Tadic who was the tip of their counter-attacking spear, always on the edge of creativity.
His cute ball for Van de Beek early in the second half almost led to a killer third and Real’s tortured defenders were never given a moment’s rest.
GOT WRONG
Distribution – Odd considering he’s the subject of our attention here due to creating two goals for his side, but his use of the ball outside of these pair of assists was frustratingly poor at times.
A 64.3 pass accuracy at one point was below par even though, worryingly, there were worse offenders in a frenzied opening stanza. Improved to 72.4 per cent by full-time.
Dreams DO come true! 🤤#UCL #reaaja pic.twitter.com/TOmJcGz824
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) 5 March 2019
VERDICT
He scored 23 goals in 162 for Southampton, but Tadic has been terrific in a more central role for his new employers – for whom he has already notched an almost unfathomable 26 times in 38 outings.
Barcelona-bound Frenkie de Jong and teenage centre-back Matthijs de Ligt may get most of the attention, but this historic triumph was stitched together by the superb Serb.
RATING: 9/10
All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com
