Real Madrid’s European dominance is over in emphatic style. A 4-1 defeat to Ajax at the Santiago Bernabeu is more than just a night to forget for Los Blancos: it is the end of an era.
After something of a fortunate 2-1 win in Amsterdam, Santiago Solari’s side looked to have done enough. That result seemed sufficient to see the champions through, even after Sergio Ramos decided he would miss the second match with a deliberate yellow card late in the game at the Johan Cruijff Arena.
But it was nearly enough in the end as Real were brutally beaten at the Bernabeu. In the space of what must go down as one of the worst weeks in the club’s entire history, their season is in tatters.
Last Wednesday, Madrid were still fighting on three fronts, but a 3-0 loss here to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg ended their hopes in the cup competition, a 1-0 defeat to the Catalans on Saturday saw Real fall 12 points behind in La Liga and their misery has been compounded on this astonishing night against Ajax.
The 4-1 win does not flatter the Dutch champions in any way. If anything, it could have been worse for Madrid. But it was bad enough and brings to an end Madrid’s spell as the dominant force in European football.