The Real Champs
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Player Ratings as Real Madrid snatch 2-1 win against Ajax

By Mushtaq Nizamdin

Real Madrid's players celebrate their second goal during the UEFA Champions league round of 16 first leg football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on February 13, 2019. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP) (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
Real Madrid's players celebrate their second goal during the UEFA Champions league round of 16 first leg football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on February 13, 2019. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP) (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Real Madrid left things late as they claimed victory in their first leg fixture against Ajax in the Round of 16. The Real Champs takes a look at the performance of the team and its players.

This was by no means an easy match for Real Madrid as they were dominated by Ajax for most of the match. While the possession stats after 90-minutes showed a 50-50 split that seemed far from reality.

Santiago Solari made the bold move of starting Gareth Bale ahead of Lucas Vazquez and that once again prove to be the wrong one. Unable to break free from Ajax’s quick press he was not the right tool for the job.

After a submissive first half, Madrid flipped the switch in the second and broke free. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos finally got into the game and engineered the defence while causing problems for Real Madrid.

A moment of brilliance from Vincius Jr lead to the opening goal of the match by Karim Benzema. Ajax would hit back with a goal of their own only to be met with a redirect from a cross by Marco Asensio. The Spanish attacker has been reintroduced to this side following his injury and hit back with a vengeance.

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