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Masterclass in Madrid

But if there is one specific 90 minutes that caught the attention of the wider football world, it took place on the evening of Tuesday 5 March 2019, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Ajax went into this UEFA Champions League last-16 second-leg game away to Real Madrid on the back of a frustrating 2-1 home defeat in the first leg.

Ten Hag’s team were the better side in Amsterdam – a fact illustrated by Real’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois being named man-of-the-match – but a double sucker-punch from the clinical Madrilenos, firstly from Karim Benzema and then a late winner from Marco Asensio gave Ajax a mountain to climb in the second leg, particularly as Real had won the Champions League in three consecutive seasons and were aiming for a ninth consecutive quarter-final place.