Borussia Dortmund’s Andre Schuerrle came off the bench to snatch a late goal and earn a deserved point as they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Uefa Champions League holders Real Madrid in a compelling Group F encounter on Tuesday.
The Germany international lashed high into the net from close range to level in the 87th minute after Raphael Varane had restored Real’s advantage in the 68th.
The France defender’s goal made up for an earlier slip that allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo’s 17th minute opener towards the end of the first half.
Dortmund and Madrid each have four points with the Germans top on goal difference, while Sporting of Lisbon are third on three points after beating visitors Legia Warsaw 2-0.
More football
• Power table: Manchester City the class of Europe, as Barcelona drop and Chelsea exit
• In pictures: Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid get close but Andre Schurrle gives Dortmund share of spoils
***********************************************************
Juventus thrash Dynamo Kiev
Striker Gonzalo Higuain scored his first Champions League goal for Juventus as the Italian title holders made light work of their visit to Dynamo Zagreb with a 4-0 drubbing of the Croatian champions in their Group H match on Tuesday.
Miralem Pjanic fired Juventus ahead with an opportunist finish before he turned provider for Higuain, who chested down the Bosnian playmaker’s superb pass and side-footed it past Dinamo’s 18-year-old goalkeeper Adrian Semper.
Higuain’s Argentine compatriot Paulo Dybala made it 3-0 with a rasping shot from 30 yards shortly after the break as Juventus, who were held by Sevilla to a goalless home draw in their opening match, kept up the pressure.
Brazilian Dani Alves completed the rout with a heavily deflected free kick in the 85th minute as Dynamo’s bold 4-3-3 formation gave the visitors too much room to operate.
***********************************************************
Son on song as Tottenham win at CSKA Moscow
Tottenham Hotspur coped well despite injury problems to put their Champions League campaign back on track on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow.
Son Heung-min scored the winning goal, his fifth of the season, to keep up his good form in the absence of injured Harry Kane.
Tottenham – missing five first-team regulars – bounced back from an opening loss to Monaco in Group E.
Defeat was a blow for CSKA, who were celebrating the first European game at their new stadium. Goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev has not kept a clean sheet in the Champions League for 10 years and could have done more to stop Son’s low shot, though Erik Lamela also deserved credit for his incisive ball to set up the goal.
Dele Alli threatened to score for Tottenham in the first half, hitting the bar with a shot from range and heading off-target from a good position.
CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky typically favours defensive tactics in European games and Tuesday’s fixture was no different as Spurs were allowed to dominate possession. After a quiet first half from CSKA, however, Zoran Tosic could have put the Moscow team ahead shortly after the break when he shot over Hugo Lloris’s bar off a low cross from Lacina Traore.
CSKA pushed forward after Son’s goal, but Mario Fernandes’s shot across the face of goal was the closest the Russian team came to scoring. CSKA have a single point from its first group game, a draw against Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite the game being the first visit by an English club to Russia since violent clashes between fans from the two countries at the European Championship in June, there were no obvious signs of disorder in or around the stadium.
***********************************************************
Slimani the scourge of Porto once again
Leicester City forgot their domestic struggles to secure a second successive Champions League victory as Islam Slimani tormented a familiar foe by grabbing the only goal in a 1-0 win over Porto on Tuesday.
Leicester sit top of Group G with six points after Slimani headed powerfully home in the first half for his sixth goal in his last four matches against Porto, having joined Leicester from Sporting of Lisbon in August.
It was the first time Leicester had tasted Champions League football at home and they came into the game on the back of a 4-1 defeat to Manchester United and a run of poor form in the Premier League, but they looked comfortable throughout against Porto.
The defeat ensured Porto, who rattled the post late on through Jesus Corona, have one point from their opening two group games and have not won in 17 games in England.
***********************************************************
RESULTS
Tuesday
Group E
• CSKA Moscow 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1
• Monaco 1 Bayer Leverkusen 1
Group F
• Borussia Dortmund 2 Real Madrid 2
• Sporting of Lisbon 2 Legia Warsaw 0
Group G
• Copenhagen 4 Club Brugge 0
• Leicester City 1 Porto 0
Group H
• Dynamo Zagreb 0 Juventus 4
• Sevilla 1 Lyon 0
FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE. Games on BeIn Sports
Wednesday
Group A
• Arsenal v Basel
• Ludogorets Razgrad v Paris Saint-Germain
Group B
• Besiktas v Dynamo Kiev
• Napoli v Benfica
Group C
• Borussia Monchengladbach v Barcelona
• Celtic v Manchester City
Group D
• Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich
• Rostov v PSV Eindhoven
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
