Real Madrid took on Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League matchup on Tuesday, and they did so without central defender Sergio Ramos. Ramos had missed the game because in the first leg against Ajax he intentionally got himself a yellow card to miss this game, and thus prevent suspension later in the tournament.
The plan backfired spectacularly, however, as Ajax won 4-1 in Madrid, winning the tie 5-3 on aggregate and knocking Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
How did we get here?
In the first leg, you see, Real Madrid took a 2-1 lead in Holland against Ajax, and most soccer fans figured Real Madrid would win easily at home and take care of the tie.
Sergio Ramos thought this as well, apparently. In the 87th minute of the first leg, Sergio Ramos could be seen communicating with his bench, and then shortly thereafter intentionally went in hard for a challenge. That earned him a yellow card, which resulted in him being suspended for the second game against Ajax due to card accumulation.
Why would Ramos do such a thing?
Because he thought it was smart to get the suspension over with, and not risk getting a yellow card in the second game, which would result in a suspension deeper in the tournament. He thought Real Madrid would win easily at home against Ajax, so he figured he’d make the tactical decision.
How do we know he did this? He said so in interviews after the game.
“Looking at the result, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t force the booking,” he told reporters after the game.
“It is not to underestimate the opponent nor to think that the tie is over, but in football you have to make tough decisions.”
He later backtracked the comments when he realized UEFA would get involved, and they did, launching an investigation into the matter. Their ruling: He would miss two games, so even if Real Madrid had won, he would have been out for the first leg of the next round.
That won’t be an issue, of course. They got smacked by Ajax, and their Champions League is over.