Three games, three losses. Real Madrid s season was ended in a week.
As if a pair of Clasico defeats to Barcelona were not enough, the LaLiga giants crashed out of the Champions League to Ajax on Tuesday.
After a win over Levante on February 24, Madrid could not have imagined a week as bad as this.
The Santiago Bernabeu has seen four consecutive Madrid losses for just the third time ever and first since May 2004, and Santiago Solari s position as head coach is surely hanging by a thread.
It was a week that could not have gone any worse.
Wednesday, February 27 – Copa hopes dashed
After a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, Madrid had hope heading back home.
They looked on track after a goalless first half, during which Vinicius Junior s missed chances would come back to hurt them.
Led by Luis Suarez, Barca punished Madrid after the break, the Uruguayan scoring either side of Raphael Varane s own goal to send Barca into a record sixth straight final courtesy of a 3-0 second-leg win.
FT: 0-3 (agg. 1-4)
Suárez 50 , 73 (p), Varane (OG) 69 |
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Saturday, March 2 – Another Clasico defeat
A chance for some revenge, and an opportunity to get back into the LaLiga title race.
Instead, Madrid fell to a first-half Ivan Rakitic goal, suffering a 1-0 loss.
Rubbing salt into their wounds, Barca went ahead in Clasico victories for the first time since April 1931.
Madrid were left 12 points behind their league-leading rivals with 12 games to go, their chances of LaLiga success all-but over.
FT: 0-1
Rakitic 26
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Tuesday, March 5 – Champions League defence over
Carrying a 2-1 lead to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Ajax, Madrid were strong favourites to progress.
But they were ripped apart by the Eredivisie giants, who recorded an incredible 4-1 victory in the Spanish capital.
Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Lasse Schone scored for Ajax, while Marco Asensio s goal gave Madrid brief hope before the three-time defending champions were eliminated at the earliest stage since 2009-10, Nacho Fernandez s late red card adding to their misery.
FT: 1-4 (agg. 3-5)
70 Ziyech 7 , Neres 18 , Tadic 66 , Schöne 72
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
It ended a week best quickly forgotten for Madrid.
