Ajax elimination a ´huge blow´, says de Boer

Ajax coach Frank de Boer concedes being eliminated from the Champions League is a “huge blow” for the club.

The Dutch side were beaten 3-0 at home by Real Madrid, a loss which, coupled with Lyon’s incredible 7-1 drubbing of Dinamo Zagreb, saw them finish third in Group D and miss out on a place in the last 16.

After feeling confident they would make it through to the knockout stages, de Boer said news of their elimination had hit his players hard.

“This is obviously a huge blow. Before the match we had a lot of faith that we’d get through in the Champions League,” de Boer said.

“For us, the players and the fans (elimination) is not a scenario you can think about before the match.”

“I thought it was an even game in the first half. We had the majority of the ball possession; maybe they were looking to profit from some mistakes we made.”

“It was a real setback to go in 2-0 behind at half-time, but I saw the score in Zagreb at that time was 1-0; then in the dressing room I heard it was 7-1 (to Lyon).”

De Boer also reserved praise for Ajax’s fans, after displaying their unequivocal support on the night, and the 41-year-old has promised their efforts will now be channelled into bouncing back against RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie on Saturday.

“I want to pay a big compliment to our fans who kept on supporting us when they heard it was 7-1 in Zagreb,” he said.

“Tomorrow we can mourn, then on Friday the players have a free day to clear their heads.”

“On Saturday we have to build again for Sunday’s game against RKC.”