By: Ibrahim El-Shawarby
CAIRO, March.6 (SEE)- Defending Champions League holders Real Madrid exited the competition on Tuesday after being humiliated 4-1on their home turf Santiago Bernabeu by an outstanding Ajax Amsterdam who overturned a first-leg defeat to reach the quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate.
Ajax needed less than 20 minutes to reverse a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech fired his team into a seventh-minute lead after a lay off from the outstanding Dusan Tadic, who also provided the pass for David Neres to double the Dutch side's advantage in the 18th.
Madrid, who were missing their defensive shield Sergio Ramos through suspension and hit the woodwork twice in the first half, came out stronger after the interval but were dealt a fatal blow when Serbia international Tadic crowned his sensational display by hammering into the top corner in the 62nd minute.
Dusan Tadic, who assisted both first-half goals, enforced the lead in the 62nd,. Marco Assencio scored the sole goal for Madrid in the 70th minute before, Lasse Schone sealed the Dutch team's triumph and its first quarterfinal appearance since 2003 with a free kick from a tight angle in the 72nd.
It was the fourth straight home loss for Madrid, something that hadn't happened since 2004, and capped one of the worst weeks in the club's recent history. It also ends an unprecedented era of dominance in the Champions League after winning three straight titles. Madrid had reached at least the semifinals in eight straight seasons and hadn't failed to make it past the last 16 since 2010.
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