Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal said his team had “no excuses” after being shocked 4-1 by Ajax at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night to crash out of the Champions League 5-3 on aggregate, with the Spain international adding that his club’s “s— season” was now already over.
Leading 2-1 from last month’s last-16 first leg, Madrid hit the post through Raphael Varane early on, but a young Ajax team kept attacking and deservedly went 2-0 up after 18 minutes through Hakim Ziyech and David Neres.
Early substitute Gareth Bale hit the woodwork for Madrid again before half-time, but Dusan Tadic made it 3-0 soon after the break. Even after Marco Asensio pulled one back for the hosts, Ajax’s Lasse Schone soon ensured his side’s progress with a superb free kick.
With Madrid also having lost in the Copa del Rey and La Liga to Barcelona over the last seven days, Carvajal told Spanish TV station Movistar that his team “had lost everything in a week.”
“We have lost everything this week, all at home,” Carvajal said.
“Tonight is not for looking for excuses. They were better than us and deserved to go through.
“It is never easy coming off two defeats at home against Barca, but we came here with victory clearly in mind.
“But two mistakes put us 0-2 down … the 0-3 killed us.”
With a shocked Bernabeu crowd having chanted for club president Florentino Perez to resign, and coach Santi Solari’s position now looking very endangered, a big squad shake-up looks inevitable next summer.
“It is clear that this season is over,” Carvajal admitted. “We will keep working hard in La Liga as that is what we have to do, to be professional.
“We cannot hide and we know this has been a s— season, that is the reality. I’ve never had this bad feeling before. I don’t know how to explain it.”