Asensio's late winner completes Real Madrid's Champions League smash-and-grab job vs. Ajax

Real Madrid’s Round of 16 draw in the Champions League was tricky.

While the other giants were largely pitted against one another elsewhere, the Madridistas drew Ajax, a savvy Dutch power that nonetheless lacks the reputation and resources of its counterpart. Therefore, the expectation was the three-time defending champions would cruise past Ajax and into the quarterfinals.

While hardly a cruise, Real Madrid’s 2-1 away win in Wednesday’s first leg had a familiar feel to it, right up to Marco Asensio’s 87th-minute winner off a knife-edge cross by Dani Carvajal:

Ajax protested that Lucas Vazquez had thrown down Frenkie de Jong near the center of the park in the build-up, but if anything de Jong seemed to be impeding Vazquez purposefully. In either case, Real Madrid’s counter was swift and devastating, as it has been during the club’s recent unprecedented run of European success.

For a decent portion of the match, the Cristiano Ronaldo-size hole in Real Madrid’s attack was noticeable, mainly because Real Madrid mounted sporadic scoring chances. These kinds of matches – early knockout phase encounters where engagement may be lacking, depending on the opponent – are the ones Ronaldo used to own before his sale to Juventus last summer. From 2016 through 2018, he scored a staggering 16 of Real Madrid’s 28 goals in the first two rounds of the Champions League knockout stages.

Minus that threat, and with a revved-up crowd backing Ajax in Amsterdam, Real Madrid found itself on the back foot more than usual and lucky to have been spared a first-half deficit. The first use of Video Assistant Referee in Champions League history overturned a Nicolas Tagliafico header in the 39th minute, when it was ruled Dusan Tadic interfered with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from an offside position (via Turner Sports):

The 50/50 call was quite the break for Courtois, whose sloppy deflection gave Tagliafico the chance in the first place, and also called to mind a prescient quote from the Belgian keeper the day before.

Around the hour mark, Real Madrid snatched its first away goal in customary fashion. Eighteen-year-old winger Vinicius Junior made a sterling run that drew the attention of several Ajax defenders before he slipped a pass to Karim Benzema, who finished with authority:

While Ajax didn’t get a desired result, it wasn’t a matter of Real Madrid having youngsters like Vinicius Junior and Ajax not. The Dutch side is awash with its latest crop of generational talents that will soon be sold to bigger clubs. There just was no breaking down Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid’s experienced defenders, which kept everything in front of them and rarely put the team in bad positions.

Ajax equalized through Hakim Ziyech in the 75th minute, as his precise left-footed finish rewarded a gorgeous ball in from David Neres:

Real Madrid argued the play that started the counter was a foul on Tagliafico, who tried to win the ball from behind Vazquez. But Vazquez appeared to go down softly and the referee waved play on.

Ajax faces a tough proposition heading back to the Bernabeu in a little less than three weeks’ time, having conceded two away goals and facing a rejuvenated side that has now won 19 times in 25 total matches under manager Santiago Solari.

Real Madrid’s reliance on composure, experience and a rotating cast of goal-scorers figures to be sternly tested in the Champions League. Unfortunately for Ajax, that test will likely come in later rounds.

Joey Gulino is the editor of Yahoo Soccer and moonlights as a writer. Follow him on Twitter at @JGulinoYahoo.

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