Real Madrid v Ajax Live Commentary & Result, 05/03/2019, UEFA Champions League

That brings an end to our coverage of the Champions League round-of-16 second leg clash between Real Madrid and Ajax at Santiago Bernabeu.Thank you very much for joining us. Goodbye!

After suffering three defeats in a row, Madrid travel to Valladolid in LaLiga as they look to return to winning ways. The visitors, meanwhile, will have to wait until the 15th of March before they find out their quarter-final opponents but do return to domestic action this weekend with a home fixture against Fortuna Sittard.

Following an unbelievable game of football, the reigning champions have been knocked out of the Champions League after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Ajax. Ziyech gave the visitors the lead when his effort beat Courtois after seven minutes before Neres doubled their lead 11 minutes later. After the break Tadic made it three with a superb curling strike from the centre of the box after 62 minutes. Despite Asensio pulling one back eight minutes later for Madrid, Schone put the game beyond any doubt when his sublime free kick looped over Courtois on 72 minutes. Nacho received a red card deep into added time for stamping on Van de Beek as Madrid crash out of Europe.

90' + 5' FULL TIME: REAL MADRID 1-4 AJAX

90' + 3' RED CARD! Nacho appeared to have stomped on Van de Beek in the aftermath of that challenge and the Spaniard is sent off by the referee!

Nacho

Yellow Card

90' + 3' Nacho drags Van de Beek to the floor down the right wing as the midfielder looked to break and the defender picks up a yellow card. Free-kick Ajax.

90' + 2' Madrid’s record run of reaching the Champions League semi-finals in each of the last eight campaigns is on the brink of coming to a halt. Ajax are three minutes away from knocking out the current holders.

90' There will be five added minutes at the end of this game.

89' Ajax are knocking the ball around comfortably now as they look to run down the clock. The Madrid players look to have accepted defeat.

F. Valverde

Casemiro

87' The hosts make their final change as Valverde comes on to replace Casemiro with only a few minutes left to play.

86' WHAT A MISS! Madrid are once again caught out at the back as Tadic gets way down the left and sends the ball across the box for Ziyech who somehow fires over the bar from a matter of yards. That looked easier to score!

85' Ziyech once again tries his luck from distance, but on this occasion his shot misses to the right of Courtois’ goal.

84' GREAT SAVE! Modric drives forward for Madrid as he looks to make something happen and the Croatian sends the ball over to the left for Bale, who sees his left-footed shot from inside the six-yard box saved by Onana. The Ajax goalkeeper has been superb today.

82' CLOSE! Dolberg lays the ball off for Ziyech on the edge of the area, but the Moroccan’s strike just sails wide of the far post.

J. Veltman

N. Mazraoui

81' Ajax make their final change as Mazraoui makes way for Veltman. It remains 4-1.

79' Following a corner from the right, Ziyech is able to send the ball back into the box and De Ligt does well to meet the delivery, but his header is easily saved by Courtois.

78' Tadic spies the run of Dolberg ahead of him and tries to play the substitute in, but the linesman has his flag up for offside against the striker.

76' Ajax’s last victory against Los Blancos in the Champions League was back in November 1995. The visitors won 2-0 in a group stage clash thanks to goals from Jari Litmanen and Patrick Kluivert.

K. Dolberg

David Neres

74' It is a double change for the away side as Dolberg comes on to replace Neres. The Brazilian has been a threat this evening and scored Ajax’s second goal.

D. de Wit

L. Schöne

73' Ajax make their first change of the game as Schone, the scorer of the fourth goal, is replaced by De Wit. Just over 15 minutes to go.

L. Schöne

Goal

72' WHAT A GOAL! Schone scores another for Ajax and what a goal it was! The visitors won a free-kick just inside from the left wing after Casemiro brought down Tadic, and Schone completely fools Courtois as the midfielder sends the free-kick over the head of the Belgian and into the top right corner. That was sublime. 4-1.

Reguilón

Assist

70' Reguilon has been quiet for large parts of the match but on this occasion the Madrid defender did brilliantly to drive forward and find Asensio in space inside the area who applied the finish. Madrid have a lifeline.

Marco Asensio

Goal

70' GOAL! Madrid pull one back through Asensio! Reguilon gets away down the left flank and spots Asensio in acres on space on the left side of the penalty area. After receiving the ball, the Spaniard strokes his first-time effort into the bottom right corner and beyond Onana. 3-1.

68' SAVE! Madrid look to respond and Bale gets picked out at the far post by Arsenio, but the Welshman fails to beat Onana who was down quickly to make the save with his legs.

64' Before this evening 100% of teams to have won 2-1 away from home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout match have progressed to the next round (8 previous cases).

D. van de Beek

Assist

62' Van de Beek has really stepped up in the second half and has been at the heart of everything for the away side. The Dutch midfielder lays the ball off for Tadic who does the rest by hammering the ball beyond Courtois.

D. Tadić

Goal

62' GOAL! Tadic makes it three! The Serbian finds space inside the Real Madrid box and beautifully bends the ball into the top left corner of the net after being found by Van de Beek. After going to VAR, the goal is given after the ball was ruled to not have gone out of play earlier in the move.

60' JUST WIDE! Ajax are once again able to launch a quick break and Tadic send the ball down the right flank for Mazraoui. The defender drives into the box before firing straight into the side of the net with Van de Beek free in the centre.

59' SO CLOSE! Benzema picks the ball up down the left-hand side of the field and easily skips beyond Mazraoui before seeing his effort curl beyond the far post from an acute angle. Brilliant play from the Frenchman.

58' Schone is a little too eager in looking to win the ball back on the edge of the Madrid penalty area and fouls Casemiro from behind. Free-kick Madrid.

56' Madrid are enjoying a bright spell of possession at present but are finding it difficult to break Ajax down. The away side have got everyone except Tadic behind the ball as they look to keep Madrid at bay.

54' Reguilon gets played in down the left by Kroos, and the defender’s looping cross into the box post is nodded straight at Onana by Benzema.

52' ANOTHER GOOD SAVE! Tadic is absolutely running the show and on this occasion the Serbian slides the ball into the path of Van de Beek down the left side of the box and the midfielder sees his left footed effort saved by Courtois down low to his left.

50' OVER! Benzema takes Carvajal’s cross down with his chest before striking the ball on the volley with his left foot. The Frenchman’s audacious effort goes just over the bar.

49' CLOSE! Madrid have started the second half very well and the ball gets worked over to the right-hand side for Asensio. The substitute drives inside and onto his left foot before curling his shot inches wide of the far post. Onana looked beaten by that one.

48' 11 of Ajax’s 12 goals in this season’s Champions League have been scored in the second half of matches. Madrid will have to be very wary of Ajax grabbing a third goal as the game wears on.

46' We are back underway! Ajax get the second half kicked-off.

Madrid have been unlucky thus far and remain hopeful of grabbing at least one goal in the second half as they look to rescue their Champions League campaign. Bale has looked lively since coming on to replace Vazquez, and with Mazraoui now booked, Madrid will look to get the Welshman one-on-one with the Ajax defender at every opportunity. Ajax, on the other hand, will be delighted with their first half performance. Tadic has been the biggest threat for the visitors and Madrid, for the most part, have been unable to contain the Serbian who will be crucial if Ajax are to add another goal in the second half.

At the end of an action-packed first half, Ajax deservedly lead at the break. The away side got off to a flying start when Tadic laid the ball off to the edge of the area for Ziyech to open the scoring with a well-placed finish. The Dutch side doubled their lead 11 minutes later when Tadic’s superb run resulted in Neres being played in and finding the back of the net from close range. Things got worse for Madrid when both Vazquez and Vinicius were forced off through injuries after 29 and 35 minutes respectively. Bale, who replaced Vazquez, almost pulled one back at the end of the half for the home side, but his effort struck the post.

45' + 2' HALF TIME: REAL MADRID 0-2 AJAX

45' There will be two added minutes at the end of the first half.

44' PENALTY? Benzema gets away down the left side of the penalty and fires a cross straight into De Ligt’s arm. The referee was well positioned to wave away the protests.

43' OFF THE POST! Kroos sends through an inch-perfect pass in behind for Bale to chase and the Welshman gets the better of Mazraoui before seeing his effort cannon back into play off the near post.

42' Ziyech finds space on the edge of the area, but finds his left-footed strike blocked by Casemiro. Ajax are looking a real threat on the break.

41' Asensio finds space in behind the Ajax defence after being played in by Modric, but De Ligt gets back to make a superb block to deny the substitute. Madrid continue to press as we approach half time.

39' Neres wins a corner to the left off Varane but Ziyech’s delivery is easily dealt with at the near post by Nacho.

37' Four of Asensio’s five Champions League goals have been scored in the knockout stages. The hosts need the Spaniard to deliver after coming on as they continue to search for a crucial goal.

Marco Asensio

Vinícius Júnior

35' Madrid are forced into yet another substitution as Vinicius is unable to continue following that earlier injury. Asensio comes on to replace the Brazilian.

34' SMART SAVE! Ziyech picks up the loose ball on the edge of the area after Madrid failed to clear their lines and Ziyech forces a good save out of Courtois with low, driven strike towards the bottom right corner.

33' Vinicius has gone down and is now receiving treatment behind Onana’s goal following that fast counter-attack. It does not look good for the Brazilian who may need to be replaced.

32' CLOSE! Following a fast break, Modric slides the ball down the left wing of the field for Vinicius. The Brazilian gets to the edge of the are before firing towards goal, but his left-footed effort goes wide of the near post.

31' Following that earlier booking, Mazraoui will now miss the first leg of the quarter-final should Ajax progress.

Dani Carvajal

Yellow Card

30' Neres picks the ball up in a dangerous area down the left flank before being cynically fouled by Carvajal who receives a yellow card.

G. Bale

Lucas Vázquez

29' The injured Vazquez is replaced by Bale as Madrid are forced into making their first change of the game.

28' There is going to be a brief stoppage in play as Vazquez is down and in need of treatment. The Spaniard is visibly distraught as he is unable to continue.

N. Mazraoui

Yellow Card

26' Mazraoui is the first player to go into the book for a late challenge on Vinicius as the Brazilian looked to launch a quick counter-attack down the left.

25' CHANCE! Blind expertly spies Tadic ahead of him before finding the Serbian with an inch-perfect pass. The Ajax attacker looked to curl the ball into the bottom left corner, but Courtois was quickly down to his right to make the save.

24' SAVE! Vinicius picks out Vazquez in the centre of the box and the Spaniard’s right-footed effort is clawed away by Onana who smartly manages to tip it over the bar.

22' GREAT CHANCE! Ajax once again catch the hosts on the counter as Tudic sends a wonderful throughball into the path of Neres. Courtois comes out to meet the Brazilian on the edge of the area, but the attacker sends his chip wide of the far post.

20' Madrid win a corner to the left off Tagliafico, but the delivery is poor and Ajax clear their lines.

D. Tadić

Assist

18' You will struggle to find a better piece of play than that wonderful run from Tadic. The winger produced a wonderful piece of skill to beat Casemiro before putting it on a plate for Neres who simply could not miss from there. What a start from the visitors.

David Neres

Goal

18' GOAL! Ajax have doubled their lead through Neres! Tadic does superbly well to spin away from Casemiro before driving towards the penalty area. The Serbian spots the run of Neres to his right and slots the ball into the Brazilian who calmly dinks the ball over Courtois and into the net. 2-0.

18' CHANCE! Vazquez delivers another superb cross into the area which Varane rises highest to meet, but the defender’s header is directed straight into the arms of Onana. He should have done better there.

17' Kroos receives the ball from Modric and opts to try his luck from distance, but the German’s effort sails wide to the right of Onana’s goal.

15' Onana launches the ball up field towards Tadic, but the Serbian was stood in an offside possession when the pass was played. Madrid are given a free-kick just inside of their own half.

13' Benzema and Kroos link up well on the edge of the away side’s penalty area, but the Frenchman fails to get the ball out of his feet at the crucial moment and is dispossessed by De Ligt.

11' It has been 22 years since Ajax last progressed through a Champions League knockout stage tie. In the 1996-97 campaign the Dutch side prevailed against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Juventus in the semi-finals.

10' Vinicius cuts inside from the left before unleashing a curling right-footed effort towards goal, but Onana makes a comfortable save as the shot was fired straight at him.

9' Vazquez once again draws a free-kick from Tagliafico as Madrid look for a response to that opening goal.

D. Tadić

Assist

7' Tadic did brilliantly to drive at the heart of the Madrid defence before picking his head up and laying the ball off to Ziyech who expertly found the corner. Ajax could not have wished for a better start.

H. Ziyech

Goal

7' GOAL! Ziyech gives Ajax the lead on the night! Kroos loses the ball down the right wing and Tadic drives towards the edge of the area before pulling the ball back for Ziyech. From the edge of the box, the Moroccan finds the bottom left corner of the net. 1-0.

6' OFF THE BAR! Vazquez sends a fantastic cross into the box from the right hand-side which is thundered against the woodwork by Varane who failed to keep his header under the bar. A very good start from Madrid.

5' Benzema wins a corner to the left off Mazraoui which Kroos delivers. The German looks for Varane who made a good run towards the near post, but De Ligt gets there first and nods the ball to safety.

3' Vazquez is clipped by Tagliafico and Madrid win a free-kick inside the Ajax half. The hosts work it short as they look to retain possession.

2' The home side have started on the front foot in the first few minutes of the game. Benzema made a bright early drive towards the Ajax penalty area before eventually being stopped by De Ligt.

1' Kick-off! Madrid get the second leg underway.

The teams are out and kick-off will soon be upon us here at Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have won their last seven games in all competitions against Ajax, the best ever run for the Spanish side against a single opponent in a European competition.

The home side have tasted defeat on two occasions in this year’s Champions League and have only won two of their three home games. In December, Real Madrid suffered an emphatic 3-0 home defeat at the hands of CSKA Moscow in the final group stage match and a similar result this evening would see the Dutch side move into the quarter-finals. Ajax, on the other hand, have won only three of their seven games in the competition. The visitors need to score at least twice to maintain any hope of progressing into the next round.

Real Madrid make two changes from the first leg match with Varane and Vazquez coming into replace Ramos and Bale. The Los Blancos captain misses out this evening due to suspension, whist the Welshman drops to the bench. Ajax, however, are unchanged from the reverse fixture.

AJAX SUBS: Bruno Varela, Joel Veltman, Daley Sinkgraven, Dani de Wit, Zakaria Labyad, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Kasper Dolberg.

REAL MADRID SUBS: Keylor Navas, Jesus Vallejo, Marcelo, Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos, Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale.

AJAX (4-2-3-1): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Daley Blind, Nicolas Tagliafico; Frenkie de Jong, Lasse Schone; Hakim Ziyech, Donny van de Beek, Dusan Tadic; David Neres.

REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Sergio Reguilon, Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez, Daniel Carvajal; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Lucas Vazquez, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema.

Real Madrid will come into this match full of confidence having beaten their visitors 2-1 in the reverse fixture several weeks ago. Ajax, however, are yet to lose an away fixture in this year’s competition and will be optimistic that they can turn things around.

Hello and welcome to live match coverage of the Champions League round-of-16 second leg clash between Real Madrid and Ajax at Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid v Ajax Live Commentary, 05/03/2019

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