Gareth Bale and Real Madrid were handed an early exit from the Champions League as AFC Ajax stunned them 4-1 at the Bernabeu to take the Round of 16 tie 5-3 on aggregate.

Real, aiming to recover from twin Cup and league set backs against arch rivals Barcelona, instead crashed to defeat at home, which saw the end of their recent domination of the Champions League.

Bale came on as a 29th minute substitute for Lucas (when Ajax were already 2-0 up), but was injured later in the game- a suspected ankle problem that could again see him on the sidelines.

Like over the weekend, Marca weren’t very complimentary to Bale for his performances in the game. He wasn’t the only one though- more than half of his team mates were “not rated” by the newspaper.

Bale’s annual wages (28 million euros), is greater than Ajax’s first, second and youth teams put together (according to Marc Overmars). The pick of the Dutch side’s four on the evening at the Bernabeu was Lasse Schone’s wonder goal, although some might attribute it to being a cross rather than a genuine attempt on goal. Nevertheless, it was one of the great Ajax European nights, and one of Real’s most forgettable in recent memory.