Real Madrid left the Amsterdam Arena with two vital away goals in a 2-1 victory over Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
The hosts dominated in large spells but it was the visitors who drew first blood when Karim Benzema emphatically finished on the hour mark following Vinicius Junior’s fine run.
Hakim Ziyech levelled proceedings 15 minutes later but substitute Marcos Asensio bagged the winner three minutes from time.
Here, we take a closer look at Ziyech’s performance.
STATS
Shots – 6
Shots on target – 3
Key passes – 0
Passes – 54
Dribbles – 5
Fouled – 2
Dispossessed – 6
30 SECOND REPORT
Ajax enjoyed superb passages of play particularly in the first half and Ziyech was key to their fluidity in the final third. The front four interchanged well and though Ziyech started on the right wing, he often drifted centrally, dropped off or ran in behind. He even swapped flanks with David Neres on occasion. He did well to bag the equaliser for Ajax and though they ended up losing, that goal may well have kept them in the tie.
GOT RIGHT
Handful
With some neat touches and delicate flicks, Ziyech was a nightmare for Madrid to contain. He didn’t set team-mates up directly but he created space for them with his intelligent movement and took players on for fun. The Moroccan ended the game with five dribbles to his name, more than any other player. He also ensured Thibaut Courtois was kept busy, firing a game-high six shots at goal with three of them on target.
GOT WRONG
Wasteful
Before his timely equaliser, Ziyech was guilty of squandering the best chance of the first half when he failed to beat Courtois from inside the box. A fine Ajax move saw Donny van de Beek eventually lay the ball off for the attacking midfielder who took a tad too long with his touch before his snatched finish was straight at the keeper. Having found himself in good positions, Ziyech could’ve played better passes in the final third but instead gave the ball away cheaply.
VERDICT
Not his best performance but still a very good one and you can’t fault Ziyech for lack of involvement. He was central to some of Ajax’s best play and took his goal well. His quick feet and intelligent interchanges had Madrid on their toes while he wasn’t afraid to have a pop at goal.
RATING: 7/10