Tag: UEFA Champions League

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SHERIFF HAND REAL MADRID SHOCKING DEFEAT AT THE BERNABEU WITH LATE WINNER

Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol pulled off a remarkable 2-1 win away to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, snatching a shock victory thanks to a sensational 89th-minute strike from Sebastien Thill.

Competition debutants Sheriff went ahead against the 13-time European champions in the 25th minute with a header from Uzbek midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev, who narrowly missed a chance to double the visitors’ lead later in the first half.

Sheriff closed with +2700 odds at Caesars Sportsbook, making it the largest underdog to win in the last three Champions League seasons. The previous biggest upset was Shakhtar Donetsk beating Madrid in the group stage last year at +1300 odds.

“We believed we could win. I spoke to my teammates as captain, motivating them, saying ‘why not dream?’ This is football,” Sheriff Tiraspol captain Frank Castaneda said. “Real Madrid are historic but on the pitch it’s 11 vs. 11. We went for the win and got it.”

Goalkeeper Georgios Athanasiadis, 28 — who plays for Sheriff on loan from AEK Athens — was named UEFA’s Man of the Match for a display that saw him make ten saves.

“I’m really happy,” he said. “It’s very difficult to play against these teams, the best in the world. I’m emotional, if I carry on talking much longer, I’ll end up crying.”

Real dominated the play in both halves but needed a penalty to draw level. Karim Benzema buried his spot-kick in the top corner in the 65th minute after Vinicius Jr was felled and awarded a penalty following a VAR review, having been denied a spot kick after a previous review moments earlier.

Real substitute Luka Jovic spurned a great chance to win it for the hosts, but Sheriff quickly got down the other end and, following a throw-in, the ball fell to Luxembourg midfielder Thill, who unleashed a lethal shot into the far top corner.

“It’s the type of game where when you have total control it’s the little details that decide it,” said Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. “That cost us the game. It can be a good lesson for the future, a game like this, the details cost you. A throw in, a cross, a corner, a pointless foul… They cost you. We lost and the team didn’t deserve it, honestly, for what we did.”

Sheriff, from the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, top Champions League Group D with six points from two games while Real are second with three.

Sheriff came through four rounds of qualifying to become the first Moldovan team to play in the group phase of Europe’s elite club competition and had surprised a highly experienced Champions League side in Shakhtar Donetsk to win their opening game 2-0.

They faced an unbeaten Real side and were outplayed for most of the game but pulled off the biggest result in their 24-year history, making the most of their few chances and relying on a few top-drawer saves from Athanasiadis.

Real made a strong start and Vinicius and Benzema each went close to giving them the lead, Athanasiadis making the first of many saves to tip a stinging shot from Benzema over the bar.

But Ancelotti’s side were outdone on the counter when Cristiano tore down the left wing and crossed to the unmarked Yakhshiboev, who headed into the net.

Real continued to threaten with Benzema and Vinicius each fizzing shots just off target before halftime, although Yakhshiboev could have scored again down the other end following a glaring error from the hosts’ keeper Thibaut Courtois.

The Spaniards looked set to go on to win the game after Benzema levelled from the spot, but Sheriff had the ball in the net again through substitute Bruno, although the goal was ruled out for offside.

Modric was then thwarted by Athanasiadis, who saved a thumping shot from the Croatian with his face, before Brazilian forward Rodrygo fired narrowly over the bar.

A Real winner looked inevitable but instead it came down the other end when Thill tried his luck from the edge of the box, scoring the most important goal in his club’s brief history.

“Sheriff defended well, very tight at the back,” Ancelotti said. “They forced us to go outside. But we combined well, we got in behind, a lot of crosses, what we didn’t go well was the little details, we could have been more focused.”

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SALAH, FIRMINO ON THE DOUBLE AS LIVERPOOL WIN BIG IN PORTO

Mohamed Salah struck twice as Liverpool sauntered to a 5-1 victory against injury-struck FC Porto to seize command of a daunting looking Champions League Group B on Tuesday.

Substitute Roberto Firmino also grabbed a brace as Liverpool negotiated a tricky-looking fixture on paper with ease.

Liverpool top the group with six points from two games, ahead of Atletico Madrid who have four points.

“It’s definitely not job done as we have four games to play. We had two good performances, applied ourselves well and got results we deserved,” Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, who made his 400th appearance for the club, said.

“It’s a good start but it is far from over.”

It was a miserable night for Porto — who have now conceded 14 goals in their last three home games against Liverpool — and especially keeper Diogo Costa who produced a woeful display.

Porto were dealt a blow before kick-off when captain and centre back Pepe was injured in the warm-up and the hosts were further handicapped when midfielder Otavio lasted only 13 minutes before hobbling off with a hamstring injury.

Liverpool took ruthless advantage of Porto’s woes with Salah tapping in following a mistake by Costa after 17 minutes. Curtis Jones crossed from the left and, as the goalkeeper fumbled, the ball fell to Salah who could not miss.

They doubled their lead just before half-time when Sadio Mane scored from close range with Costa again culpable after letting a low cross from James Milner across the area.

Salah made it 3-0 on the hour with a typically neat finish before Porto rallied with Mehdi Taremi heading past Alisson.

Any hope of a late Porto comeback was extinguished, however, when Costa made a mad dash from his goal and substitute Firmino rolled a shot into an empty net.

Porto’s misery was complete when Firmino grabbed his second of the night in the 81st minute.

After being drawn in the toughest group, Liverpool will be hugely satisfied with their start, having beaten Milan in a scintillating opener at Anfield a fortnight ago.

Liverpool have scored at least three goals in their last six matches in all competitions for only the third time in the club’s history and head into this weekend’s big Premier League clash at home to English champions Manchester City on a high.

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MESSI SCORES MAIDEN GOAL FOR PSG IN WIN OVER MAN CITY

Lionel Messi gave Paris St Germain fans what they came for as he helped them beat visitors Manchester City 2-0 in their Champions League clash with his first goal for his new club on Tuesday.

The Argentine forward, who joined PSG on a two-year contract after leaving Barcelona, found the top corner in the second half to add to Idrissa Gueye’s early first-half opener and put the capital club top of Group A on four points.

Messi had been quiet on his fourth appearance for PSG until he netted on the counter as his link up play with their France striker Kylian Mbappe bore fruit.

After two games, City are third on three points, one point behind PSG and Club Brugge, who beat RB Leipzig 2-1 away.

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UCL: HALLER NETS FOUR AS AJAX HAMMERS SPORTING CP IN LISBON

Sebastien Haller scored four goals as Ajax Amsterdam picked apart Portuguese hosts Sporting CP for a one-sided 5-1 victory at the start of their Champions League Group C campaign on Wednesday.

The tall striker netted twice in the opening 10 minutes to set Ajax on their way, and completed his hat-trick early in the second half before adding another goal just after the hour mark at Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Steven Berghuis claimed his first goal for his new club to add to the tally while Paulinho got the home team’s consolation.

The combination of winger Antony and Haller proved lethal as Ajax got off to a dream start in the second minute, with the Brazilian’s shot deflected on to the post and Haller dipping his head to get to the rebound.

Antony’s run down the right set up Haller’s second after nine minutes before Paulinho pulled one back in the 33rd minute with an angled shot that Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer let slip under his body.

Berghuis ensured a 3-1 halftime lead with a polished side-foot finish but Paulinho had the ball in the Ajax net straight after the break only to be ruled offside after a VAR check.

Haller, whom Ajax forgot to register for European club competition last season in an embarrassing administrative botch-up, then added two more in the 51st and 63rd minutes.

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LIVERPOOL INSPIRED BY ISTANBUL IN COME BACK WIN AGAINST AC MILAN AT ANFIELD

Liverpool built a Champions League reputation on their 2005 second-half recovery against AC Milan and they were required to come from behind again to get their European campaign off to a winning start.

The achievement was considerably easier than the seemingly gargantuan task of recovering from 3-0 down against the then mighty Serie A giants but they made much harder work of their 3-2 victory at Anfield than they should have done.

Such was their early dominance Jurgen Klopp’s side should have been out of sight well before Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz scored within two minutes of each other just before the break to surprisingly turn the match on its head.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ninth-minute shot had deflected in off Fikayo Tomori before Mohamed Salah missed the chance to establish an early platform with his first failure from the penalty spot in 18 attempts.

Despite trailing at half-time, Klopp would not have had to produce the rallying speech Rafael Benitez did in Istanbul as there had been very little wrong up to the point where they lost all defensive shape moments before the interval.

And even though Milan finished a distant second to city rivals Inter last season, they are not blessed with the star power of a Kaka, Paolo Maldini or Hernan Crespo and without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they lack real quality.

Liverpool turned up the heat with Salah’s 72nd goal in his 100th appearance at Anfield, shortly after the restart provided the necessary momentum and Jordan Henderson secured the win with a low half-volley.

Milan may have won seven European Cups but this was their first outing in this competition since 2014 and their inexperience showed as they constantly gave away possession having found themselves under pressure from the moment they won the toss and invited their hosts to attack the Kop.

Divock Origi, a surprise starter for the rested Sadio Mane, missed a good early chance, Diogo Jota had a shot blocked and Joel Matip’s header – destined for the top corner – was caught by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

However, the strain told as Alexander-Arnold exchanged passes with Salah and charged into the area where his angled shot bounced up off Tomori and into the net.

It did nothing to help Milan’s nerves; the waves of attacks just kept coming and when Andy Robertson’s cross hit the arm of Ismael Bennacer, Salah had the chance to double their advantage but Maignan saved his penalty and Jota’s follow-up.

The miss appeared to stall the hosts’ momentum – their best chance after that saw Salah’s snap-shot tipped over – and that gave Milan some encouragement but, after the previous 42 minutes they had endure, even they could not have foreseen their finish to the half.

A neat passing move on the edge of the penalty area exploited the channel between centre-back Matip and Alexander-Arnold and Rebic rolled a shot past Alisson.

Their second came from a similar position, with Alexander-Arnold caught upfield, and although Robertson blocked Theo Hernandez’s shot on the line, Diaz followed in to score.

It was uncharacteristically loose from Liverpool but the absence of the calming influence of the rested Virgil Van Dijk offered some explanation.

So another comeback against the Serie A giants was required but, judging by the evidence of the first half, it was entirely achievable.

Salah’s 27th Champions League goal in 46 matches, three minutes after the break after exchanging passes with Origi and poking home the dropping through-ball was the ideal start.

But they had to wait until the 69th minute to get back in front when Henderson drilled in a low half-volley from the edge of the penalty area after a half-cleared corner.

At the final whistle there were no celebrations from the players and it was left to Klopp to produce his now-trademark triple-fist pump in front of the Kop to signify the return of European football to a full house at Anfield.

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MANCITY RESIST NKUNKU HAT-TRICK TO BEAT LEIPZIG IN NINE-GOAL THRILLER

Manchester City launched their latest Champions League challenge with a remarkable 6-3 victory over 10-man Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium.

Five different City players got on the scoresheet for last season’s runners-up, who also benefited from an own goal in a thrilling end-to-end encounter to open Group A.

Christopher Nkunku scored a brilliant hat-trick in a losing cause for the visitors, who had former City left-back Angelino sent off in the second half.

Nathan Ake opened the scoring for City with Nordi Mukiele turning into his own net and Riyad Mahrez adding a penalty in the first half.

Jack Grealish marked his first Champions League appearance with City’s first goal of the second half before Joao Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus also netted.

Leipzig, the 2020 semi-finalists, had threatened to be a tough test for Pep Guardiola’s side. In an attacking sense that proved the case but, defensively, City regularly cut the German team open.

City were without centre-backs John Stones and Aymeric Laporte but Ake went some way to justifying his selection by claiming the opening goal after 16 minutes.

The Dutchman went forward for a corner and met a Grealish cross with a firm header. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi managed to flick it onto the bar but the effort was too powerful and bounced over the line.

City immediately threatened more as Mahrez cut inside from the right and saw£ a trademark curling effort deflected wide. Grealish then had an effort blocked by Nkunku.

The hosts were gifted their second on 28 minutes. Kevin De Bruyne, making his first start of the season, found space on the right and whipped in a low, bouncing cross.

Mukiele looked to have it covered, but he misread Gulacsi’s positioning and completely wrong-footed the keeper as he attempted to head back to him, resulting in an embarrassing own goal.

Leipzig, to their credit, continued to play positively and enjoyed a good spell.

Their reward came with a reply on 42 minutes as Emil Forsberg picked out Mukiele with a deep cross. Redeeming himself a little following his earlier error, Mukiele headed back across goal for Nkunku to turn past Ederson.

City responded instantly, although there was an element of controversy over their penalty after VAR adjudged Lukas Klostermann to have handled a Ferran Torres header at point-blank range.

Mahrez took full advantage as he fired into the roof of the net.

Leipzig again reduced the arrears six minutes into the second half. De Bruyne collided with the referee as the German side attacked but play continued and Nkunku headed his second from a Dani Olmo cross.

City responded again and Grealish made his mark as he raced onto a long ball from deep to cut inside from the left to curl a fine shot beyond Gulacsi.

The hosts thought they had another soon after when Torres glided around Gulacsi but his goal was ruled out for offside by VAR.

Leipzig were still not beaten, however, and Nkunku’s fine night continued as he got behind the defence and fired a low shot across Ederson to make it 4-3.

In keeping with the frenetic nature of the open contest, City added another one soon after.

This time Cancelo was the man on target as he lashed a shot into the roof of the net from 25 yards.

Cancelo was in the thick of the action again moments later, this time being felled by a wild challenge from Angelino. The Spaniard was shown his second yellow card and given his marching orders.

That killed any hopes Leipzig may have had of finding a way back into a remarkable game and Jesus wrapped up the scoring five minutes from time when he pounced on a loose ball in the area.

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ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC MISSING AS AC MILAN RETURN TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AT ANFIELD

AC Milan rejoin Europe’s elite without the star power of injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic but coach Stefano Pioli believes they will prove they are worthy of their place.

The seven-time European Cup winners return to the Champions League for the first time since 2013-14 with a trip to Anfield to play Liverpool.

Ibrahimovic, who only made his comeback from four months out with a knee injury on Sunday against Lazio, has been left at home due to an Achilles problem.

And while the 39-year-old Swede may be their talisman Pioli insists they have gained enough important recent experience to be able to compete with more established sides after three Europa League campaigns in four years.

“Zlatan wanted to join the match (against Lazio) and of course after the match he had some inflammation,” said Pioli.

“We hoped he could play but he still had pain so we don’t want to risk tomorrow as it’s a very important match and we have so many matches.

“We are very sorry for Zlatan because he always wants to play but he will be back soon.

“We are very well prepared. We had the Europa League and all those experiences allowed us to improve, to make mistakes and to grow.

“We are playing at a higher level but this is what we hoped for. This is a great opportunity for us, by raising the bar we can actually perform well.

“Though we have not played in the Champions League we know what to do.

“The group is very difficult and competitive with great experience in Europe but we want to write our history from tomorrow. We are very convinced about ourselves.”

Milan’s 32-year-old captain Simon Kjaer, who only has seven Champions League appearances to his name despite his vast experience, believes they have to make a statement against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“It is going to be a difficult match but in my opinion we need to go there and play like AC Milan,” he said.

“We are there to demonstrate we are not on holiday. We are there to do something.

“This match is very special because we are back in the Champions League and we will play with great pleasure but we need to demonstrate we are back in the Champions League.

“We are in a very good position in our pathway and we have grown up so much, but we have to show that. We need to have the mindset that we can play against any team.”

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UCL: LEWANDOWSKI BRACE HELP BAYERN THRASH SORRY BARCELONA

Two goals from Robert Lewandowski and one from Thomas Muller propelled Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win at Barcelona in their opening Champions League game on Tuesday in another brutal demonstration of the gulf in class between the two sides.

Muller gave Bayern the lead in the 34th minute with a strike from outside the area which deflected off Barca defender Eric Garcia to confound goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Lewandowski struck the German champions’ second in the 54th, tapping into the net from close range on the rebound after Jamal Musiala had hit the post as Bayern made a rampant start following the interval, hemming their hosts into their own half.

The Polish striker twisted the knife further into Barcelona by scoring again in the 85th, collecting the ball in the area after another shot had come back off the post and tormenting the defence before calmly beating Ter Stegen in the Group E clash.

The scoreline was not quite as damning for Barca as the 8-2 drubbing Bayern gave them in the quarterfinals two seasons ago but the performance was just as hopeless as they were routinely dispossessed and struggled to cope with the visitors’ intensity.

Barca made a promising start in their first Champions League game in front of supporters at the Camp Nou since December 2019, although while the crowd was limited to 40,000 due to coronavirus restrictions there were fewer fans in attendance owing to a lack of appetite for the post-Lionel Messi era.

But Bayern soon showed their superiority and it took a strong hand from Ter Stegen to prevent Leroy Sane giving the Germans the lead, while Gerard Pique had to slide across the ground to block a goal-bound strike from Musiala.

Barcelona’s only real attempt on goal in the first half came from a free kick, defender Ronald Araujo meeting Memphis Depay’s cross and heading just over the bar.

Bayern finally took the lead their play merited through Muller, who scored twice in the 8-2 hammering of Barca in Lisbon and has now netted seven times against the Catalans in Europe’s top competition.

Loud boos could be heard at halftime but things got more desperate for the hosts after the break and by the end of the game Barca fans were sarcastically applauding the team whenever they managed to recover the ball, resigned to their fate.

“We came to win this game and we knew that we had to show respect to Barcelona,” Lewandowski said. “When you play at the Camp Nou against them they are always dangerous. But we had this game under control and we showed we were here for the three points.”

Lewandowski extended his scoring streak in all club competitions to 18 matches. For Muller, it was his 49th goal in Champions League competition with seven of those against Barcelona. No other player has scored more goals in the competition against Barcelona than him.

“It’s a lot of fun playing here, the boys enjoyed it,” Muller said. “When you win 3-0 here, it’s a really important signal. We’re really pleased. We gave very little away at the back and going forward, we could have scored one or two more.”

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said the gulf in talent on the field was apparent and pointed out that his side was playing without injured stars like Sergio Aguero, Ousmane Dembele, and Ansu Fati.

“I can’t complain about the team’s attitude, but there’s a quality difference. One team that have played together for a long time [against] us, with a lot of young players who in two, three years will be better. It’s really difficult to accept, but we hope to improve things and to get people back from injuries.

There are players aged 19, 20. If you compare that with what Bayern have, it’s a huge difference. The difference will get smaller in time.”

With Camp Nou at 40% capacity, the fans took out their frustration on Sergi Roberto, who had a less than memorable performance playing out of position at right full-back and substituted off in the 60th minute.

“Bayern are really solid and we are what we are. It is what it is. At the end, we had a lot of kids on. We’re Barca and I don’t want to make excuses, though. We will see at the end of the season,” Barca captain Pique said after the match.

“It hurts me a lot personally because I know him as a person, he’s a great human being and loves this club more than anything. I would like to remind people he’s not a full-back, either, and he’s making a huge sacrifice by playing there. It hurts a lot,” Pique said of his teammate.

Koeman also came to the defense of Roberto, saying: “I never like fans whistling a player. All the players have tried to give everything.

“The only thing is Sergi was playing in a position, if all players available, he would not play that position. To play further forward on the wing, have to be good one on one, quick … he’s another type of player.”

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ROMELU LUKAKU’S STRIKE HELP CHAMPIONS CHELSEA CLAIM SLIM VICTORY AGAINST ZENIT

Romelu Lukaku’s pinpoint header rescued Chelsea’s first match as Champions League holders in a 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg.

Belgium hitman Lukaku bagged his third goal in two games and his fourth for Chelsea since his £98million switch from Inter Milan.

The 28-year-old converted captain Cesar Azpilicueta’s hanging far-post cross with a header of stunning accuracy, and that after shrugging aside three touch-tight Zenit defenders.

Chelsea laboured past a resolute and regimented Zenit, for much of the match running the risk of limping to a dispiriting draw.

But then Lukaku rose up, highest of all, to nod home and turn the night entirely.

Both Chelsea and Lukaku have been clear from the start: the Anderlecht product has come to west London to score goals and win matches.

So far, so very good for the talismanic striker.

Last season Chelsea would have drawn this match. Lukaku’s prowess and presence have already delivered a major impact, with the Blues’ rivals in all competitions taking ominous note.

Had Artem Dzyuba slid the ball home for Zenit from mere yards out late on the tie would have harboured a very different hue.

But Chelsea escaped unscathed, to swipe three important points from the opening Group H encounter.

A belated Uefa individual awards presentation ceremony before kick-off whipped up a victory parade atmosphere in west London.

Thomas Tuchel received his Uefa manager of the year gong for last term, with Edouard Mendy presented his trophy for goalkeeper of the year.

Jorginho finally got his hands on his player of the season silverware too, as the Blues paid reverence to last term’s Champions League triumph.

Uefa figurehead Aleksander Ceferin was on hand to dole out the pre-match prizes, and an entirely underwhelming first-half proved a true case of after the president’s show.

Chelsea could not convert their general comfort into genuine openings, leaving Stamford Bridge to a man frustrated at the interval.

Try as they might the Blues could not carve open Zenit’s regimented defence.

The visitors ultimately had the most credible half-chance before the break despite minimal possession. Reece James lifted the ball off Claudinho’s toe, however, to ease the danger.

Hakim Ziyech struck Chelsea’s first shot on target shortly after half-time, but it took a mammoth run from Toni Rudiger to lift the crowd.

The Germany defender cantered 70 yards into the Zenit box, before lashing a shot wildly wide. Once the gritty centre-back had found that position, he should truly have hit the target.

But the resolve to run all but the length of the field proved enough to get the home faithful on their feet.

Mateo Kovacic threaded a lovely ball to Ziyech but the Morocco forward could not pick out anyone in the centre of the box.

James then tiptoed around the back of Zenit’s defence but could not test Stanislav Kritsyuk in the visitors’ goal.

As Chelsea pressed and lost an edge of control, Sardar Azmoun almost sneaked through on goal – with Rudiger required to blast away to safety.

Just as Chelsea’s nerves started to twitch for a breakthrough though, up popped Lukaku with a fine headed finish.

Azpilicueta’s hanging far-post cross begged to be turned home but still required an inch-perfect contact.

Not even the posse of three Zenit defenders swarming him could deny Lukaku however, with the talisman striker nodding the ball out of everyone’s reach and into the net.

Replacement forward Dzyuba should have found the net when sliding in towards a low centre that left him in a heap with Mendy.

His miss proved the closest Zenit could come to opening up the Blues, with the hosts negotiating the final stages to seal the win.

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UCL: YOUNG BOYS STUN MANCHESTER UNITED AT THE DEATH

Manchester United’s Champions League campaign got off to a nightmare start as Jordan Siebatcheu’s stoppage-time strike earned Young Boys a famous 2-1 victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 10 men in Switzerland.

Three-and-a-half months on from losing the Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties, the Red Devils were on course to return to continental action with a straightforward win after Cristiano Ronaldo’s early opener.

The Portuguese’s 135th Champions League goal came as the returning forward equalled Iker Casillas’ appearance record in the competition, but the 36-year-old will want to forget his 177th match.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s 35th minute sending off for a rash challenge on Christopher Martins Pereira changed the dynamics of the game, with Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu levelling before Siebatcheu struck at the death.

Few could argue that the Swiss champions – managed by former Huddersfield boss David Wagner – did not deserve the result on a night when their performance was as impressive as United’s was poor.

Moumi Ngamaleu sent the Stadion Wankdorf wild when levelling and substitute Siebatcheu capitalised on a dreadful Jesse Lingard backpass to strike a stunning stoppage-time blow in the Group F opener.