Champions League now Real’s only hope
Two demoralising defeats to Barcelona have left Real Madrid with just one chance to salvage their season by winning a recordextending fourth consecutive Champions League.
But they must do it without the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, the star striker who fuelled their title run before leaving for Juventus at the end of last season.
Madrid failed to score against Barcelona in two clasico matches at their Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the past week.
Barcelona eliminated Madrid from the Copa del Rey semifinals with a 3-0 victory on Thursday, and three days later, left Madrid 12 points adrift in the Spanish league with a 1-0 win.
Real Madrid could do with rediscovering their scoring form to avoid another calamity when they host Dutch side Ajax in the return leg of their Champions League round-of16 tie tomorrow. The visitors won the away leg in Amsterdam 2-1 thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio.
“We gave it our all [against Barcelona] but were not decisive enough in the box,” defender Dani Carvajal said. “We need to lay it all on the line [against Ajax]. They have had a good rest and we saw what they can do in the first leg. I hope the fans back us because we want to give them something to cheer.”
Madrid’s biggest threat against Barcelona was the speed and skills of Vinicius Junior. But the 18-year-old Brazilian failed to finish his scoring chances and got little help from the team’s veterans. Benzema squandered his opportunities and Gareth Bale was jeered by segments of the crowd when substituted on Sunday.
The hosts are without suspended centre back Sergio Ramos, while Ajax have won their last three games by at least three goals.
“Goals come in patches,” said Madrid manager Santiago Solari. “We’ll keep plugging away. We can’t let our teamwork, solidity and commitment slip.”