Toni Kroos on Real Madrid's Loss to Ajax: 'To a Man, We've Failed'

Toni Kroos had no excuses after Real Madrid were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Ajax on Tuesday.

Per COPE (h/t Marca), the German midfielder said after Real's 4-1 humiliation at the Santiago Bernabeu: "To a man, we've failed to reach our best level. I'm the first to admit that."

The heavy second-leg defeat to Ajax's young side saw Los Blancos exit the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the first time since 2010.

It also ended their remarkable 1,012-day reign as European champions following their three title wins in a row:

Real went into Tuesday's clash strong favourites to advance to the quarter-finals as they held a 2-1 lead from the opening leg in Amsterdam.

However, Ajax produced a supreme display to stun Real. Early goals from Hakim Ziyech and David Neres turned the tie on its head, and Dusan Tadic and Lasse Schone completed the rout in the second half.

Marco Asensio's 70th-minute goal to make it 3-1 on the night was the only moment of hope Real fans were given in the entire match. 

The defeat to Ajax ended a miserable week in which Real lost 3-0 and 1-0 at home to Barcelona in consecutive matches, knocking them out of the Copa del Rey and effectively ending any La Liga title ambitions, respectively.

Kroos acknowledged that Ajax deserved to advance given the balance of play in both legs, per COPE (h/t Marca):

"I think we've played well in the Copa del Rey, but when you get a 3-0 defeat it's always difficult. It's normal for you to have a bad year. What's not normal is what we've done over the course of the past three years. We also suffered last year and had some good games this year.

"We're disappointed, but I think Ajax were the best team today. They were also better in the first leg. It's difficult, but we have to accept the fact that they deserve to be in the quarter-final."

Real are back in action against Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.

But given they are now 12 points off leaders Barca, they have little to play for the remainder of the season:

The key now will be to plan for the future and establish how to avoid another disastrous campaign in 2019-20.