Real Madrid vs Sheriff Tiraspol
Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat in the Champions League at the hands of Sheriff Tiraspol. It was the Moldovan outfits’ second win in as many matches.
Real Madrid made a strong start and Vinicius and Benzema went close to giving them the lead. However, Athanasiadis made the first of many saves to tip a stinging shot from Benzema over the bar. Los Blancos was pegged back in the 25th minute after a header from midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev.
Real Madrid dominated both halves as they created chance after chance. However, goalkeeper Georgios Athanasiadis kept the Moldovan side in the game after saving many shots. He was named the man of the match by UEFA after making ten saves in the match
The sheriff had a goal ruled out for offside after substitute Bruno scored the goal. Madrid equalized in the 65th minute via a penalty scored by Benzema. Vinicius Junior was fell in the penalty area and the referee pointed to the spot. Substitute Luka Jovic spurned a great chance to win it for Madrid. Meanwhile, Sheriff quickly got down the other end, and, following a throw-in, the ball fell to midfielder Thill, who unleashed a lethal shot into the far top corner.
Underdog’s triumph
The sheriff came through four rounds of qualifying to play in the Champions League. They became the first Moldovan team to play in the group phase of Europe’s elite club competition and surprised Shakhtar Donetsk to win their opening game 2-0.
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Frank Casteneda, captain of Sheriff Tiraspol said after the game that they believed they could win.
He said,
“We believed we could win. I spoke to my teammates as captain, motivating them, saying ‘why not dream?’ This is football. Real Madrid is historic but on the pitch, it’s 11 vs. 11. We went for the win and got it.”
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti, manager of Real Madrid said that his team controlled the match and the result was not in their favor because of small details.
“It’s the type of game where when you have total control it’s the little details that decide it. 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 leads the group after winning both their opening games. Meanwhile, Real Madrid is in second place with three points after their opening day win over Inter.
