DORTMUND FRUSTRATES MADRID AS LEICESTER WIN AGAIN REAL ARE PISSED OFF AT THE RESULT: ZIDANE

ANDRE Schurrle smashed in a late equaliser as Borussia Dortmund held Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Leicester City claimed another famous European victory. Premier League champions Leicester made it two wins from two in their debut Champions League campaign as Islam Slimani’s first-half goal secured a 1-0 win against FC Porto, and it was a good night all round for English clubs as Tottenham Hotspur beat CSKA Moscow in Russia. Reigning champions Real twice surrendered the lead as they settled for a 2-2 draw against Dortmund to extend their poor record on German soil.

In a tremendous Group F game played at breathless pace, Zinedine Zidane’s side went in front in the 17th minute when Gareth Bale’s back-heel came off Matthias Ginter and fell for Cristiano Ronaldo to fire home. It was the Portuguese superstar’s 98th European goal but Dortmund had been in fearsome form ahead of this showdown and they drew level just before the interval. Making his first appearance of the season after injury, Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas opted to punch a Raphael Guerreiro free-kick and the ball struck the face of his teammate Raphael Varane before rebounding into the net. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was standing in close quarters, and he was officially credited with the goal by UEFA. However, French centre-back Varane made up for that by restoring Real’s advantage midway through the second half, following in to score after Karim Benzema’s attempt had hit both the post and bar.

But there was to be no first win in Dortmund for Real as substitute Schurrle rifled a shot into the roof of the net after a Christian Pulisic cross fell to him on the edge of the box. Madrid have won just four times in 30 away games against German clubs, but this result still leaves them in control of Group F. In the other game in the section, first-half goals by Bryan Ruiz and Bas Dost gave Sporting a 2-0 victory against Legia Warsaw in Portugal. Leicester have maximum points after two matches in Group G after edging out two-time European champions Porto at the King Power Stadium. Algerian striker Slimani, a club record £28 million ($36.3 million, 32.3 million euros) summer signing from Sporting, struck on 25 minutes, heading past Iker Casillas from a Riyad Mahrez cross.

Next up for Leicester will be FC Copenhagen, who were impressive 4-0 winners at home to Club Brugge in the Danish capital. All the goals came in the second half, with a Stefano Denswil owngoal setting the home side on their way before further counters from captain Thomas Delaney, Federico Santander and Mathias Jørgensen. Tottenham bounced back from a 2-1 defeat to Monaco in their Group E opener by beating CSKA in Moscow to claim three points from an awkward trip to the Russian capital.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were without Harry Kane, Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier, Danny Rose and Moussa Sissoko against the Russian champions, but the in-form Son Heung-min was there and he made the difference. MADRID: Real Madrid gave up a late goal to draw 2-2 for the second time in a matter of days, and coach Zinedine Zidane was unable to contain his disappointment at his team being unable to close out a game yet again. The Frenchman twice saw his side take the lead against Borussia Dortmund, only to concede equalisers towards the end of each half. “I’m pissed off because we played a great game offensively and defensively,” Zidane told the press in his post-match comments. “I said that we lacked concentration against Las Palmas, but that wasn’t the case today. “In the end, it’s not a bad result, but I feel for the players because they put in a huge effort.” After taking the lead through Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid conceded a 43rd minute equaliser due to an error from Keylor Navas, but Zidane was quick to defend his goalkeeper. “Keylor [Navas] was very good overall, the goal was unlucky and I’m happy with his performance.” The coach also praised defender Raphael Varane after a muchimproved outing that included his very first goal in the Champions League. “Varane had to deal with a very fast striker in Aubameyang, and he controlled him well,” Zidane said. “He was unlucky with [Dortmund’s first] goal, but he managed to score himself.” Zidane will now look to prepare his charges for this weekend’s LaLiga fixture against Eibar at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, a game that will represent a great opportunity for Real Madrid to pick up a win after three draws on the bounce. “We’re in a bit of a rough patch at the moment, but we must now move forward and think about the next game.”

The South Korean winger, scorer of a brace in a 2-1 Premier League win at Middlesbrough at the weekend, netted the only goal of the game on 71 minutes at the Arena CSKA, his shot squirming under keeper Igor Akinfeev and in.

Meanwhile, 2015 runners-up Juventus notched their first win in Group H, ruthlessly dispatching Dinamo Zagreb 40 in Croatia.