Holders Real Madrid Dumped Out of the Champions League
On Tuesday, 13 times UEFA Champions League winners and current holders Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition by Ajax Amsterdam FC. Los Blancos blew a 2-1 away lead to lose 5-3 on aggregate. On the evening, Real lost 4-1 at home, creating a bad record of being the first team to be knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 as holders of the trophy. Injuries and bad form have plagued the European giants all season, and they are 12 points off-pace with La Liga leaders FC Barcelona. Read on to find out where it all went wrong.
Ajax Youth Triumph in Madrid
Oddsmakers never gave Ajax a chance, with the team featuring of a majority of players in their youth. It seems that was what was needed, youthful energy to blow through the favourites to win the trophy for a record fourth time in a row. Real seemed to lack the pace to deal with the speedy Ajax forwards, while the red-carded captain, Sergio Ramos was sorely missed.
The Loss of Ronaldo & Zidane
Madrid has failed to replace all-time leading goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and former coach Zinedine Zidane following their departure at the start of the season. Replacement coach and former Real player Julen Lopetegui was sacked after just four and a half months in charge of the side. A similar fate seems to be following for current head coach Santiago Solari. The defeat to Ajax is Real’s third defeat in a row after Barcelona knocked them out of the Copa Del Rey cup as well as a league defeat at home. In a somewhat distasteful but interesting turn of event, top Philippine bookies have started offering odds on the coach getting sacked. If you are interested in placing a bet, head over to our most trusted sports betting sites and bet today.