Win at Madrid 'pretty close to perfection', beams Ajax boss Ten Hag

Erik ten Hag paid tribute to an Ajax performance he "enjoyed watching immensely" as it dismantled Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Ajax coach Erik ten Hag at the Bernabeu

Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag saw his side's 4-1 win over Real Madrid as "pretty close to perfection" as it dumped the Champions League holder out of the competition.

The Dutch side trailed 2-1 after the first leg of its last-16 tie, but a sensational performance at the Santiago Bernabeu in the return fixture saw it through to the quarterfinals.

Hakim Ziyech and David Neres scored before half-time, with Dusan Tadic – brilliant in creating the first two – adding a third for Ajax on Tuesday.

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Marco Asensio's consolation was swiftly followed by a Lasse Schone free-kick and Ajax coasted to a famous victory that had boss Ten Hag purring.

"This was pretty close to perfection," he told Veronica TV. "Over the two matches, we definitely deserved to progress to the next round. I enjoyed watching my team immensely this evening.

"Let's not forget that we started in the qualifying rounds. But we are still in the running for three prizes and we want to win them all.

"I have no influence on the draw, so I'm not going to think about it. All the possible opponents are big teams - but so were Real Madrid."