VAR rescues Real in Amsterdam
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Referee disallows Ajax goal over offside as defending champions take a big step towards quarters
AMSTERDAM: Real Madrid needed a late winner from Marco Asensio and VAR’S debut in the Champions League to beat a spirited Ajax 2-1 in the first leg of the last 16.
Ajax have not beaten Madrid in 24 years and thought they were on their way at the Johan Cruyff Arena when Nicolas Tagliafico headed home after a Thibaut Courtois error.
But referee Damir Skomina judged Dusan Tadic to be offside upon review and Madrid showed no pity on their youthful opponents — Karim Benzema and Asensio scoring two precious away goals in the second half.
Hakim Ziyech’s equaliser at least keeps Ajax in touch heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu but Asensio’s 87thminute winner was a suckerpunch in a match the Dutch team had largely dominated.
Their ruled out opener will only add to the sense of what might have been and it was no surprise to see a cluster of red and white shirts surrounding the officials at the final whistle.
TECH TO REAL’S HELP
VAR has been introduced to the Champions League for the first time in this year’s knock-out stages and leaflets were distributed to the media before kick-off, one of the points explaining how reviews should only be for “clear and obvious mistakes”.
UEFA later tweeted Ajax’s goal was “correctly overturned for offside” but Tadic’s intervention on Courtois was minimal and it seemed generous to deem it enough for a call to be reversed.
“We can’t see the replay,” Madrid coach Santiago Solari said. “We have to be confident in what the referees say.”
“I saw it,” said Ajax’s Erik ten Hag. “In my opinion it was not offside and I don’t see it as a foul on the goalkeeper either.”
Still, there was more than an hour to play and Ajax were twice too easily undone on the counterattack. Frenkie de Jong, who will join Barcelona in the summer, and Matthijs de Ligt, who could follow him, were each dealt a lesson in the ruthlessness of top European football.
Ajax f ans had put on an
SHORT PASSES
Luka Modric started the move that led to Karim Benzema scoring the opener, winning the tussle with Barcelona-bound Frenkie de Jong. The same move saw Vinicius Junior doing all the hard work to put in a cross for Benzema. Against Ajax, Alaves, Real Betis, Espanyol and Atletico, the Los Blancos’ bench has contributed significantly.
The officials decided that forward Tadic was marginally impressive display of fireworks late on Tuesday outside the Spanish team’s hotel and perhaps it paid off because a drowsy Madrid were run ragged in the first half.
Tadic had the first chance as Sergio Reguilon’s poor pass was While they were completely steamrolled in the first half, Real gathered their wits in the second session to slowly negate the Ajax threat. Marco Asensio did it against Ajax, Gareth Bale has done it twice while Mariano and Dani Ceballos have scored once each. In those 10 games, Madrid scored nine goals after the 75th minute. offside and interfering with play — standing in front of Thibaut Courtois at the exact moment Tagliafico got his header in. It was the correct decision technically, however without VAR the goal would have stood. headed into his path, a sliced finish beating Courtois’ right hand but not the post. The best opportunity fell to the excellent Donny van de Beek, after the ball was shifted along the line like a rugby move until the midfielder was left spare six yards out. Courtois saved with his legs.
Hero one minute, villain the next, Courtois then fumbled De Ligt’s header from the corner and Tagliafico headed in. There was no protest from Courtois but Sko- Had it not been for Ajax players losing their composure at the crunch, they could have emerged victorious.
The Dutch had the best chances of the match. Dusan Tadic hit the post in the first half and David Neres shot straight at Thibaut Courtois in a one-onone situation. In injury time, substitute Kasper Dolberg missed a chance to equalise. goals
goals Karim Benzema has scored in 2019 in all competitions.
mina pointed to his earpiece. Tadic, who had brushed past the Belgian as the header looped in, was ruled offside.
The crowd jeered at half-time and Benzema compounded their misery soon after. It was a goal to
sum up Madrid’s resurgence in recent weeks as Luka Modric flicked a ball for Vinicius Junior t o r ace af t er. He t ore past one, jinked inside two more and teed up Benzema, who found the top corner.