Spanish giants Real Madrid suffered a dramatic and shocking loss to Moldovan club and European minnows Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League.
Madrid was expected to trounce Sheriff on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu but lost 2-1 thanks to a late goal from midfielder Sebastien Thill. Tiraspol was playing in just their second Champions League of all time, having qualified for the group stages of the tournament for the very first time this season.
The Moldovan club was founded just 24 years ago in 1994 and has won the Moldovan National Division – the top-tier league in Moldovan football – a whopping 19 times.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti fielded a strong side, which featured the likes of Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, David Alaba, Vinicius, and Casemiro. Sheriff took the lead in the 25th minute, thanks to a headed effort from striker Jasurbek Yakhshiboev. Benzema scored the equalizer from the penalty spot after Vinicius was brought down.
A 1-1 draw for Sheriff would have felt like a cup final against the mighty Real Madrid, but the Moldovans did one better, winning the game through a fantastic volley by Thill from outside the box.
Ancelotti was sad about the result and believes that his attackers should have been more clinical in the final third.
“More than worried, we’re sad. I think the team played with a lot of intensity and commitment, but there were fine margins. Usually, the fine margins don’t cost you a game, but sometimes they do. We had many chances and we could have been more clinical in the final third. It’s hard to explain this defeat,” said the Italian manager.
Sheriff is now top of Group D with six points, while Madrid is three points behind them. The other match of the group ended in a 0-0 draw between Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Sheriff has a big chance at qualifying to the knockout stages of the tournament following the two wins. They had previously finished third in the group stage of the Europa League three times, while finishing last in the group stage of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League competition.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0 against Manchester City, with Lionel Messi scoring his first goal in PSG colors. Liverpool brushed aside Porto, with an impressive 5-1 win away from home, while Atletico Madrid left it late to mount a comeback and score twice in the last 10 minutes of the game to defeat AC Milan.
