Moldovan minnow Sheriff shackles mighty Madrid
MADRID — Sheriff Tiraspol pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history on Tuesday by beating Real Madrid 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with Sebastien Thill smashing a stunning 89th-minute winner.
“For us this is a dream come true to have won here. We’re so happy, and just enjoying it,” said Frank Castaneda, the Sheriff captain.
“We came here to win,” added the Colombian. “We didn’t just come here to sit around. We know how good our players are and luckily for us Madrid weren’t able to take their chances and we took ours.”
Madrid fell behind to Jasurbek Yakhshiboev’s header in the first half, but Karim Benzema’s penalty appeared to have spared the blushes of the Spanish giant, only for Thill to snatch an incredible victory.
“It’s the best and most important goal of my career, that’s for sure!” Thill said.
“The side was so brave with how we played and luckily enough I was able to score a bit of a stunner.”
The result will go down as one of the most surprising in the history of the competition and delivers a huge boost to Sheriff’s chances of qualifying for the last 16.
It has six points out of six in Group D, having already beaten Shakhtar Donetsk.
“This type of game when you have total control is decided by the small details and that has cost us the game,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“A corner kick, a stupid foul — they cost you and now we talk about a defeat we didn’t deserve.
“We’ve missed out on three points and the group is wide open. We need to win our next game.”
Sheriff, founded in 1997, has dominated Moldovan soccer but this is its first season in the Champions League group stage.
“We are dreaming of getting into the last 16 and that’s our objective,” said Castaneda. “Our attention now turns to Inter Milan and we’ll work hard in order to ensure we keep getting positive results.”
Thill, Sheriff’s match winner, was last year playing on loan at Russian club FC Tambov, which in May was dissolved after going bankrupt.
“After this match we all went crazy. There are a lot of foreigners in the club, we come from all types of countries. It’s our strength,” Thill, a Luxembourg international, told Canal+.
For Madrid, the defeat was an unexpected setback for what has otherwise been an encouraging start under Ancelotti.
Madrid was the more authoritative early on, but Sheriff scored with its first opportunity as Yakhshiboev headed in a perfectly weighted cross from Cristiano.
Madrid improved toward the end of the half but not before Sheriff could have made it 2-0. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois botched a clearance, side-footing it straight to Castaneda. He fed Yakhshiboev, who curled just wide.
“Thill’s goal was out of this world. It’s one you dream of. I thanked him at the end of the game,” said Castaneda.