And here’s Daniel Taylor’s report of Tottenham 3-0 Dortmund …
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Thibaut Courtois speaks: Speaking to BT Sport after the game, the Real Madrid goalkeeper is asked about the big VAR decision in the first half. Needless to say, he thinks it was a great decision, even though he appears very confused indeed about why it was given. He thinks it was for a non-existent offside in the pahse of play (Matthij’s de Ligt’s header) before his rick that led to Nicolas Tagliafico heading the ball past him.
Broadcasting’s Danny Baker has had his say on the major talking point from tonight’s match.
But once again. TV cameras should only be at football matches to cover what happens not to to determine it. They are witnesses not judges. Stop VAR now before we allow football matches to be completely governed by distant bureaucracy disguising control as accuracy.
— Danny Baker (@prodnose) February 13, 2019
While I largely agree with him, the problem about tonight’s decision lies more with the offside rule than anything to do with VAR. If it requires forensic examination of a TV screen by several people to definitively decide that a player is offside by the width of a few pixels in the build-up to a goal, then the offside law is an ass.
Full-time: Ajax 1-2 Real Madrid
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! An entertaining match draws to a close and Real Madrid take a 2-1 lead back to the Bernabeu thanks to their late smash-and-grab. Despite a heroic effort from Ajax, whose players look devastated, goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio either side of Hakim Ziyech’s strike in the 75th minute give Real the advantage.
90+2 min: Chance!!! Put through on goal with only Thibaut Courtois to beat, Kasper Dolberg scuffs his shot horribly under pressure from a defender.
90 min: Sergio Ramos is one yellow card from a booking and decides he’ll sit out the next match to wipe his slate clean. He sticks out a leg and upends Kasper Dolberg and the ref duly obliges him by taking his name.
Anyway, back to the goal. With Madrid on the attack, Marco Asensio escaped from his Donny van de Beek at the far post to prod home a wonderful cross that Carvajal had curled through the Ajax penalty area from the right flank.
Oh, for the love of God. The ref has to consult with his VAR team again, as they examine another possible foul in the build-up. The players don’t know what’s going on, the fans don’t know what’s going on ... after a short pause long enough to be extremely irritating, he points to the centre-circle and the goal stands.
GOAL! Ajax 1-2 Real Madrid (Asensio 87)
Madrid retake the lead as the game enters its knockings. Of course they do.
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85 min: Real Madrid substitution from a few minutes ago: Vinicius Junior off, Mariano Diaz on.
83 min: A yellow card for Lucas Vazquez, who is booked for a cynical foul on David Neres.
82 min: Asensio tries his luck again from distance, but this effort is blocked by Matthijs de Ligt.
81 min: Onana concedes a corner, with a hideously bad clearance. To be fair to him, the ball took a ferocious bobble off a discarded plastic pint glass that had blown, or been thrown on to the pitch.
79 min: Marco Asensio tries a speculative shot and it’s a fine effort which surprises Andre Onana and goes into the side-netting.
It stands!!! I’m not sure why it wouldn’t have, but there were a few nervy moments as Real’s players complained about a challenge they thought was illegal in the build-up to the goal. It was a fairly straightforward finish for Ziyech, who got in front of his man to slot home a ball squared to him by Neres from the left.
GOAL! Ajax 1-1 Real Madrid (Ziyech 75)
It’s all square in Amsterdam, as Hakim Ziyech equalises for the home side!!! But wait, Real’s players are surrounding the referee ...
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74 min: Kasper Dolberg is straight into action, firing high over the bar after making a nicely angled run to stay onside and latch on to a neat through ball.
72 min: Ajax substitution: Lasse Schone makes way for his compatriot Kasper Dolberg. Real Madrid substitution: Karim Benzema off, Marco Asensio on.
71 min: Hakim Ziyech takes the free-kick and it’s on target, but doesn’t trouble Courtois a jot.
70 min: Sergio Reguilon, the young Madrid native who is keeping Marcelo out of the Real Madrid side, is booked after conceding a free-kick a few yards outside his own penalty area and is booked. It’s 27 metres from goal and in a wonderful position.
68 min: Kasper Dolberg is about to come on for Ajax. Standing on the touchline receiving final instructions from Erik ten Hag, the young Dane looks about 12 years old.
64 min: Daley Blind plays a lovely ball into the Real Madrid penalty area, trying to pick out Tagliafico in a good position. Carvajal shields the ball well, holding off the Ajax left-back, allowing Thibaut Courtois to collect the ball.
62 min: That’s heartbreaking for Ajax, but monotonously predictable from Real Madrid, who were dismal in the first half, but have been going through the gears in the opening 15 minutes of the second.
60 min: Real substitution: Gareth Bale off, Lucas Vazquez on.
GOAL! Ajax 0-1 Real Madrid (Benzema 59)
Brilliant play from Vinisius, who gets in behind Mazraoui down the touchline, cuts inside into the penalty area and tees up Benzema, who smashes the ball past Andre Onana.
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58 min: Real’s spell of uninterrupted possession is interrupted by a Vinicius foul on Mazraoui, who wins a free-kick for his team.
57 min: Bale plays the ball out wide to vinicius on the left flank as Real enjoy a spell of uninterrupted possession.
55 min: Luka Modric overcooks a pass meant for Gareth Bale down the inside right. As fast as he is, the Welsh winger can’t prevent the ball from rolling out of play.
53 min: Hakim Ziyech is booked for flying into a challenge on Gareth Bale. He is now one of six Ajax players currently walking what is known in the trade as the “disciplinary tightrope”, one yellow card away from triggering an automatic ban.
50 min: Neres beats the offside trap to latch on to a ball from deep. Taking the ball wide, he brings a smart save out of Courtois with a rasping drive. A corner for Ajax, from which nothing comes.
50 min: A pooor throw-out from Onana gifts possession to Real Madrid, with Carvajal taking advantage. A period of sustained pressure from Real leads to Carvajal teeing up Benzema on the edge of the box. His shot arrows towards the bottom right-hand corner, but Onana throws himself to his left to save.
49 min: Carvajal picks out Bale running up the inside right. His squared ball towards Benzema is intercepted and cleared.
47 min: No changes in personnel on either side at half-time, by the way.
Second half: Ajax 0-0 Real Madrid
46 min: Ajax get the ball rolling for the second half after bossing Real Madrid for the opening 45 minutes. They’ve been outstanding and Real have been poor, but the deadlock remains unbroken.
More on that VAR decision: It seems a certainty that Dusan Tadic was adjudged to be offside and interfering with play when Matthias de Ligt headed the ball goalwards. Very, very unfortunate for Ajax. It was so tight that VAR, which we’re told will only take seconds, took two minutes and 50 seconds to clear that one up.
Half-time: Ajax 0-0 Real Madrid
The players go in for the break, with several of Ajax’s number looking absolutely furious. They scored and celebrated what seemed to be a perfectly legitimate goal, only to have it ruled out after what seemed like an eternity after the referee had interacted with his video assistant refereeing team and then forensically studied the goal on his own pitchside monitor. The Ajax players and the fans who have come to see them have no idea why the goal was ruled out. Courtois will be relieved to be off the hook.
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45+1 min: Ajax win a free-kick for a Carvajal foul on Tagliafico between penalty area and touchline. Lasse Schone ties his luck with an ambitious shot, but Courtois saves easily.
44 min: VAR is far from perfect, but it could easily be a lot less imperfect. It’s completely ridiculous that nobody in the stadium or watching on TV knows why that goal was ruled out. For what it’s worth, the goal looked fine to me.
If that’s interference, maybe. If that’s been ruled out for offside: an example of the mission creep that’ll make VAR a nonsense, and further evidence that the offside rule as it is currently employed is insane.
— Rory Smith (@RorySmith) February 13, 2019
NO GOAL! It's back to Ajax 0-0 Real Madrid
Critics of VAR will have a field day with this one. Ajax won a couple of corners in quick succession and at one, Mattijs de Ligt directed a powerful header goalwards. Thibaut Courtois failed to catch it and the ball cannoned off him, up into the air. With the goalkeeper off his line, Tagliafico headed into an unguarded net from seven or eight yards out.
Following a very long pause for VAR intervention, the referee appears to rule it out for either offside - Dusan Tadic was standing in front of Courtois when the “goal” was scored, possibly in an offside decision and seems to have been judged to have interfered with play. That looks a harsh decision.
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39 min: Or do they? There’s a pause in play as the referee calls for some VAR intervention, before heading over to the touchline to check his monitor for himself.
GOAL! Ajax 1-0 Real Madrid (Tagliafico 38)
Ajax go in front, deservedly so, largely thanks to a monumental flap by Thibaut Courtois.
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36 min: CHANCE!!! Tadic is instrumental in a sequence of slick passes on the edge of the Real box that leads to Mazraoui finding himself on the right side of the Real Madrid penalty area with the ball at his feet. With only Courtois to beat, he shoots straight at the goalkeeper.
35 min: Casemiro recovers sufficiently to be on hand to play the ball out of defence following more good work from Dusan Tadic, who is popping up everywhere.
33 min: Andy van de Beek is penalised for raking his studs down the achilles of Casemiro. That looked a sore one.
30 min: Bale and Carvajal combine down the right flank, before the Welshman unleashes another long range effort. Onana saves. Ajax promptly launch the ball forward for Tadic, who is winning his fair share of the long balls occasionally lofted his way.
27 min: Neres is quite deliberately shoved off the ball in the area between the left side of the Madrid penalty area and the touchline by Dani Carvajal, but doesn’t get a free-kick. It’s a strange one, because as two-armed shoves in the back go, it wasn’t exactly subtle.
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25 min: CHANCE!!! Dusan Tadic does well to hold off Sergio Ramos as he runs on to a through-ball into the Real Madrid penalty area. Firing first time, he rifles the bouncing ball off the cross-bar. So close for Ajax.
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24 min: David Neres tries to wriggle his way through the Real Madrid box for Ajax, but Sergio Ramos momentarily dispossesses him. Moments later, the left-winger plays a give-and-go to Tadic on the edge of the box, but the return pass has far too much weight on it and the ball rolls out of play for a goal kick.
22 min: Daley Blind floats a long ball over the top for Tadic to chase, but Real’s defence clear up with ease.
20 min: Even playing the ball out from the back, Ajax’s players look very comfortable on the ball and completely unphased by the status of their opponents, the defending European champions. Real’s, by contrast, are giving the ball away with uncharacteristic frequency.
18 min: Dusan Tadic is penalised for putting his arm across the face of Nacho and knocking him to the ground as the pair contest a high clearance from Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana.
16 min: Ajax go forward, with Tadic playing the ball wide to Nicolas Tagliafico on the left. His cross is intercepted and cleared by Nacho, who is in for Raphael Varane, who is feeling poorly.
14 min: Vinicius scorches down the left wing at a ferocious lick, cuts inside and unleashes a shot. Good save from Andre Onana, who puts the ball over the bar for a corner. Toni Kroos sends the ball into the penalty area and finds Gareth Bale, but his header is weak and straight at the goalkeeper.
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10 min: Hakim Ziyech goes down in the penalty area under a challenge from Nacho – or possibly Casemiro – and appeals for a penalty, but none is forthcoming. The intensity with which Ajax are playing, smothering Real inside their own half with a relentlessly heavy press, is very impressive. One obvious question, though: for how long will will they be able to keep it up?
8 min: Rampaging Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui combines well with Tadic down the insight right, playing a give-and-go after making a lung-busting run. In behind the Real defence, Mazraoui stumbles as he shapes to shoot and pulls his low diagonal effort well wide of the far post.
6 min: A good interception by Casemiro on the edge of his own penalty area puts an end to a promising Ajax attack and the midfielder releases Vinicius Junior on the counter. The young Brazilian hares up the field with the ball at his feet and passes wide to Gareth Bale on the right. His long range effort is saved easily by Andre Onana. We’ve had a good, entertaining start.
5 min: A good start from Ajax, who are employing a very high press against Real Madrid. Dani Carvajal clearly doesn’t like it up him and has a moan at the referee after Neres gets a bit too rough when trying to hustle and harry him off the ball.
4 min: Lasse Schone plays the ball over the top for Donny van der Beek to chase, but he puts too much welly on his pass and Thibaut Courtois is quick off his line to gather.
3 min: Tadic tries to play David Neres in behind with a back-heel, but his cunning plan is anticipated by Gareth Bale, who is back defending.
1 min: The Ajax fans are in full voice as play begins. Their team is playing without a recognised centre-forward tonight, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Kasper Dolberg both on the bench. With 22 goals to his name already this season, former Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic is playing through the middle for them.
Ajax v Real Madrid is go!
1 min: Real Madrid lose the toss and kick-off, their players wearing black shirts, black shorts and black socks. The players of Ajax wear white shirts with a thick red stripe down the middle, white shorts and white socks. After a tribute to the late Emiliano Sala, play begins.
Not long now: Dutch violinist André Rieu finishes entertaining the crowd, takes his bow and makes way for the players of Ajax and Real Madrid. They’re not quite ready and following a long conversation about something or other with referee Damir Skomina, Matthijs de Ligt turns back to his team-mates. From the visitors’ dressing room, the players of Real Madrid emerge wearing red hoodies over their shirts. Out on to the pitch they go ... kick-off is just moments away.
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VAR: a quick reminder: In the event of clear and obvious errors, Video Assistant Referees will be available to help the referee make decisions regarding goals, incidents in the penalty area, red cards and instances of mistaken identity.
So, Gareth Bale starts for Real. As does Vinicius Junior. Meanwhile in the Ajax ranks, 19-year-old Matthijs de Ligt will become the youngest player ever to skipper a team a team in the Champions League knockout stages. Bully for him.
Ajax v Real Madrid line-ups
Ajax: Onana, Mazraoui, de Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico, De Jong, Schone, van de Beek, Ziyech, Tadic, David Neres.
Subs: Lamprou, Kristensen, Veltman, Sinkgraven, Huntelaar, Dolberg, de Wit.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Reguilon, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Bale, Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Navas, Vallejo, Mariano, Marcelo, Lucas, Asensio, Ceballos.
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Erik ten Hag speaks
“Frenkie [de Jong] is fit; he is looking forward to the game, just like we all are,” said the Ajax manager, of the young star who will move to Barcelona in the summer and will endear himself to supporters of his next club with a good performance against Real.
“Top teams can play very offensively, but also shut up tight and then break at pace,” said ten Hag of tonight’s opponents. “Real Madrid have a very experienced team, with guys like [Sergio] Ramos, [Toni] Kroos, [Luka] Modrić and [Karim] Benzema, but also a good mix. It is going to be a great challenge for us to achieve something positive. We know we can be strong on this stage, and certainly in Amsterdam.”
Santiago Solari speaks
Talking ahead of tonight’s game, the Real Madrid manager wasn’t slow in bigging up their opponents. “They’re having a good season,” he said. “They link up well and are very dynamic, with good players. You have to respect every opponent. I hope we produce a performance as serious as we did three days ago.”
While Ajax have been enjoying a good season, their form has dipped of late. Second behind PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie, they lost to Heracles over the weekend and recently found themselves on the wrong of a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Feyenoord.
Early team news
Neither side have any suspensions, but Ajax are without striker Hassane Bande, who is injured. There are have been questions over the fitness of Frenkie de Jong, although his manager, Erik ten Hag, insists the youngster is fine.
For Madrid, Jesus Vallejo and Luca Zidane are sidelined with hamstring issues, while Marcos Llorente and Isco are also out. Vinicius Junior is expected to start ahead of Gareth Bale, whil Sergio Reguillon may be preferred at left-back ahead of Marcelo.
Champions League: Ajax v Real Madrid
The Johan Cruijff ArenA is the venue as Ajax host Real Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Unbeaten in 12 Champions League matches – three rounds of qualifying and six group games – so far this season, Ajax finished runners-up in Group E behind Bayern Munich. Despite losing twice in the group stages, Real Madrid advanced as winners of Group G. Kick-off tonight is at 8pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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