Real Madrid stunned at home by Champions League debutants

MADRID, (Reuters) - Real Madrid slumped to a 2-1 defeat by Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League on Tuesday as the visitors pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history with a stunning 89th-minute strike from Sebastien Thill. Champions League debutants Sheriff went ahead against the 13-times European champions in the 25th minute with a header from Uzbek midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev, who narrowly missed a chance to double their lead later in the first half.

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

Real substitute Luka Jovic spurned a great chance to score but Sheriff quickly went down the other end and following a throw-in the ball fell to Luxembourg midfielder Thill, who unleashed a lethal shot into the top corner on the half volley.

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.

Thill’s unstoppable strike gave Sheriff a win that flew in the face of match statistics showing Real had 30 shots on goal to the visitors’ four and won 13 corners compared to none for the Moldovan side while the Spaniards had 67% of possession.

“I’m a little sad as I think we deserved to win,” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“You could say we had bad luck, we lost the game on the small details, they scored their goals on the counter-attack and from a throw-in. We had a lot of shots at goal but sometimes luck deserts you in games.

“Everything went well for them, everything went wrong for us.”

BIGGEST RESULT

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 surprised a highly experienced Champions League side in Shakhtar Donetsk to win their opening game 2-0.

Before kick off the club, founded in 1997, had a mere 6,000 followers on Twitter, contrasting with Real’s army of over 38 million on the social media platform.