A few days after tipping Real Madrid for the Champions League, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry as Real Madrid were sensationally knocked out of the competition for the (if memory serves) sixth successive season at the knockout stage, this time by Lyon.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Real were fully expected to overturn that deficit with ease and cruise through to the next stage.

When Ronaldo scored after just six minutes, the deficit was overturned and everyone expected the rout to continue from there but it just didn’t happen.

Higuain continues to suffer the kind of luck that makes you wonder if he has been smashing mirrors as a hobby recently and hit the post yet again.

However, when Lyon scored in the 75th minute, it was all but over. In fact, it WAS over. The final score was 1-1 and Real Madrid were out of the Champions League.

Lyon are one of those teams that have given a few teams a torrid time in the CL over recent seasons but would hardly be anybody’s first choice to actually win it but you have to give them immense credit. They beat Real at home and drew with them away. The perfect recipe for Champions League success.

And so, despite spending the equivalent of small country’s national debt, Real have left the Champions League at almost the earliest possible stage.

A penny for Ronaldo’s thoughts right now… the lessons were there to be learned… he followed his dream.

He’ll be having nightmares tonight.