Champs Lg review: Tottenham claim away draw against Real Madrid

Tottenham claimed an away point against the European champions in Champions League Group H as they held Real Madrid 1-1 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side took the lead in Madrid through a Raphael Varane own goal, before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled the tie with a penalty just before the break.  

Both sides had numerous chances in the second half of a game of exquisite skill, and of the very highest quality, but neither found the breakthrough with both goalkeepers, Keylor Navas and Hugo Lloris, in exceptional form.  

Apoel Nicosia and Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 in the group’s other clash, Mickael Pote opened the scoring for Nicosia, before Sokratis Papastathopoulos levelled the tie.  

Real and Tottenham are joint-top of the group on points and goal difference, with Dortmund and Nicosia a distant third and fourth with just their points from this evening’s tie to show for their efforts.  

Spanish aristocrats, Real, could have been ahead as early as the fifth minute with Spurs saved by the woodwork as Ronaldo smashed a header off the upright and Karim Benzema unable to direct the rebound on target as he snatched at the ball and put it behind for a goal kick.  

Having survived that early scare, the Londoners asserted their dominance on the tie as they took the lead. Serge Aurier burst down the right channel, crossing to Harry Kane at the near post, who missed an attempted flick, with the ball coming to Varane, who was marking tightly behind Kane, and the centre-back seeing the ball hit off him and loop high into the back of his own net.  

Spurs’ somewhat fortuitous opener was cancelled out from the penalty spot on 43 minutes. Toni Kroos worked his way into the box with Eric Dier set to make the clearance, but Aurier flew in from behind and brought down the Germany international. Ronaldo stood up to take the spot kick, waiting for keeper Lloris to move, before slamming home to the opposite corner.  

Lloris did far better just after the break as the Frenchman spread himself superbly to block away a Benzema header after a cross into the centre of the box from Casemiro. Just after the hour mark, Lloris again came to Spurs’ rescue as he managed a one-handed flick to send a Ronaldo half-volley over the crossbar.  

Having been under the cosh for much of the second period, Spurs nearly countered with deadly effect with 20 to go. Fernando Llorente slid a pinpoint ball into Kane as he ran in behind the last line of defence, with Navas forced into a fingertip save to deny the England striker. Spurs were almost in again a minute later with Llorente slipping Christian Eriksen in and Navas this time tipping wide at his near post.

Liverpool recorded an English club’s biggest-ever away win in the European Cup as they hammered Slovenian champions Maribor 7-0 at Ljudski vrt Stadion in Champions League Group E.

Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both bagged braces, with Philippe Coutinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Trent Alexander-Arnold all adding to the scoreline as Jurgen Klopp’s side decimated their Balkan opponents.  

In the group’s other game Spartak Moscow hammered Sevilla 5-1 at the Otkrytiye Arena, with Quincy Promes [2], Lorenzo Melgarejo, Denis Glushakov and Luiz Adriano all marking for Spartak, and Simon Kjær scoring for Sevilla.  

Liverpool sit top of the group on goal difference from Spartak Moscow, with Sevilla third and Maribor rock bottom.  

Klopp’s Liverpool took just four minutes to open their account against Maribor. An atrocious back pass allowed Salah to latch onto possession and power down the right side of the box where the Egyptian squared for Firmino to tap home from close range.  

The Reds second came nine minutes later and this time it was sublime. Again Salah was the creator as he drove into the box, before laying off for James Milner, whose chipped pass into the middle was met by a scruffy volley from Coutinho into the corner.  

Any slim hopes of a comeback for the home side were well and truly extinguished when Liverpool added a third after just 20 minutes. Once more the Slovenian side gave the ball away inside their own half, with Firmino sliding it past the defensive line for Salah to collect and slot home past the keeper.  

Salah grabbed his second of the evening five minutes before the break. Coutinho cut open the defence to find Alberto Moreno to square into the middle for Salah to tap home from close range.  

More goals seemed likely after the interval and so it proved on 50 minutes. Coutinho curled in a free-kick with Firmino escaping his marker and flicking home into the far corner.  

Oxlade-Chamberlain claimed his first strike for his new club as Liverpool notched their sixth on 86 minutes. Another Maribor error led to the goal with Daniel Sturridge pouncing on a loose pass to play in the Ox to finish home into the corner of the net.  

With a minute of normal time remaining it was seven when Alexander-Arnold had a pop from 25 yards out with the ball deflecting into the net to add icing on the cake of Liverpool’s utterly dominant display.

Premier League leaders Man City got the better of Serie A leaders Napoli with a 2-1 win in Group F at the Etihad Stadium.  

City took both their goals inside the opening 13 minutes through Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. Napoli missed a first-half penalty through Dries Mertens, but did score from a spot-kick through Guinean youngster Amadou Diawara in the second period. However, City held firm to close out the points.  

In the group’s other tie Shakhtar Donetsk took a 2-1 away victory over Feyenoord at De Kuip. The Dutch side had taken an early lead through Steven Berghuis, before a brace from Bernard saw the Ukrainians turn the tie around, despite having Yaroslav Rakitskiy sent off late on.  

Unbeaten City top the group from Shakhtar, with Napoli third and Feyenoord last and still pointless.  

City broke the deadlock at the Etihad nine minutes in. A David Silva run began the move, before the Spaniard slid the ball into Kyle Walker in the centre of the box, with the England right-back seeing his effort blocked by centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly before rebounding to Sterling to slot home past keeper Pepe Reina.  

Jesus made it 2-0 on 13 minutes with his fifth goal in three games for City and Brazil. Kevin de Bruyne got away down the right flank before pulling a cross into the centre, where Raul Albiol missed his attempted clearance, and the ball fell to Jesus to calmly finish to the nets.  

De Bruyne hit the woodwork after 26 minutes, having been picked out by Leroy Sane, with the Belgian smashing his effort off the underside of the crossbar and away. Napoli could have reduced the deficit when Spanish referee Antonio Mateu awarded penalty on 37 minutes after Walker was penalised for pulling down Albiol in the area, only for Ederson Moraes to deny Mertens with his feet, with Fernandinho clearing the danger from the rebound.  

A quieter start to the second period didn’t see another clear chance until after the hour mark. A loose ball broke for Mertens, with Ederson coming out quickly to close down the space, allowing Marek Hamsik a free shot on goal, which John Stones did superbly well to block away with a diving leap.  

That chance was in fact a prelude to Napoli breaking their duck as they were awarded a second penalty of the evening. This time left-back Faouzi Ghoulam was taken down by Fernandinho, with 20-year-old Diawara slotting home the penalty for his first Napoli goal on 73 minutes.  

Mertens had a chance to level on 81 minutes, but the Belgian’s attempted chip of Ederson in nets ended well wide as City secured the three points.

In Group G, Besiktas overcame Monaco 2-1 at Stade Louis II. Radamel Falcao gave Monaco the early lead, but a brace for Cenk Tosun won it for the Turkish side. Leipzig saw off Porto 3-2 in the group's other game at the Red Bull Arena. Will Orban, Emil Forsberg and Jean-Kevin Augustin all marked for the German outfit, with Vincent Aboubakar and Ivan Marcano on target for the Portuguese side. Unbeaten Besiktas top the group, with Leipzig second, Porto third and Monaco bottom.

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