I would lie if I told you that I did not force the card- Sergio Ramos

The Real Madrid captain is set to miss the return leg against Ajax as well as facing a two-match ban.

Sergio Ramos led Real Madrid to an away win against Ajax as the game ended two goals to one. Despite being the better side on the field, Ajax failed to capitalise on the chances they created in both the halves. Ramos started the game with two yellow cards already to his name and getting another would have put Sergio in a single match ban.

Late in the second half, Sergio went into the referee's book with a yellow meaning an automatic omission from the next game. The third booking came on from a late foul on the forward Kasper Dolberg.

The smart play would mean that the defender will be available for a potential quarter-final clash. But UEFA could slap him a two-match suspension for his deliberate actions.

"I would lie if I told you that I did not force the card," said Ramos after the game.

"It is something I had in mind, it is not to underestimate [Ajax] or think that the tie is already over but I have decided [to be booked] so I can rest in the return, although I will be in the stadium to encourage the team," he said.

Two second-half goals from Karim Benzema and substitute Marco Asensio made all the difference. Yet Ajax laid the base for a comeback before Asensio scored the winner.

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Santiago Solari said, "We knew how to deal with the high press they put on us."

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"Ajax had saved up all their energy and threw it at us. They closed us in, took the ball off us with aggression, at the limit of the law on some occasions, but later we made chances and scored two of them - very important away from home," the coach said.

Ajax had a goal disallowed through VAR, the striker from Tagliafico. The return leg will be played on 5th of March but the challenge awaits for Real Madrid as they have two consecutive home El Clasico's to play, one on the Copa del Rey semi-final and another in the LaLiga.