Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos insists his booking at Ajax has been overblown.

Ramos picked up a yellow card in the final minutes of his side's 2-1 win away at Ajax, which means that he will miss the second leg of the Champions League tie. It also means he will be free for the final four should they reach the semis.

Many have criticised the act as it was deemed to be deliberate.

But Ramos told Marca: "I'm very surprised by all of this. I meant to force the foul, a foul that was inevitable; not to force the suspension.

"It was a very dangerous counter-attack in the 88th minute with the match wide open and the tie as well. That's why I said that I'd be lying if I said that I didn't know that I would be suspended, just as I knew that I had no choice but to make the foul. And that's what I meant when I said that in football you have to make difficult decisions.

"If I wanted to force a suspension, I could have done it in the group stage - in the game against Roma, because we were already qualified in first place, and in the last game against CSKA [Moscow] as it was inconsequential. By the way, a match for which I was not called up."