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3. Ajax vs Real Madrid (First Leg: 1-2; Second Leg: 4-1)
A common argument against the Champions League lately is that the competition is becoming more and more exclusive each passing year. There is some weight behind the theory too, as proven by the current season which saw only teams from the 'top-five' domestic leagues qualify for the knockout stage. AFC Ajax's run to the semi-finals last season, however, proved that there is still room for fairytales, despite the tournament's growing competition and exclusivity.
Ajax started their 2018/19 UCL campaign in the second qualifying round and made it through to the group stage following three two-legged ties. They were handed a tough group alongside Bayern Munich, Benfica, and AEK Athens, but they made it through to the knockouts undefeated.
It was then that the Dutch side was handed their toughest test - a two-legged knockout against the three-time defending champions Real Madrid. To make their lives more difficult, Los Blancos registered a two-one victory away from home in the first-leg, leaving Ajax on the brink. Erik Ten Hag's side, however, had no plans of leaving the competition this early and what they did next sent shockwaves across the footballing world.
Hakim Ziyech and David Neres put the Eredivisie outfit two-nil up within the first twenty minutes of the return leg. With the Bernabeu left shell-shocked, Ajax continued their dominance and eventually sealed the tie in the sixty-second minute via Dusan Tadic. Real Madrid pulled one back late on through Marco Asensio but captain Lasse Schone curled his freekick past Thibaut Courtois to complete a four-one thrashing.
