MONACO WILL GET NO FAVRE
Russians leave under-fire holders in a daze
LUCIEN FAVRE has warned his Borussia Dortmund side not to be fooled by Monaco’s domestic struggles when they meet tonight.
Monaco have not won a Ligue 1 match since the opening weekend of the season and are third bottom after back-to-back defeats.
Favre (above) insisted, however: “Even though they haven’t started well, we’re coming up against a very good team. Their defeats have often come down to small details.
“We have made a good start, but that does not matter.”
EUROPEAN champions Real Madrid were stunned after a shocking Champions League defeat by CSKA Moscow in Russia.
Toni Kroos gifted the hosts their goal in the second minute with a terrible backpass that was picked up by Nikola Vlasic, on loan from Everton, and he fired past Keylor Navas from just inside the penalty area.
Karim Benzema, Casemiro and Mariano hit the woodwork for Real as the Spanish side, missing the injured Gareth Bale, pushed for an equaliser.
CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was sent off four minutes into time added on for two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent.
Lyon produced a stirring fightback to claw back two superb goals from Shakhtar Donetsk’s Junior Moraes and rescue a 2-2 draw behind closed doors in France.
Lyon, serving a one-game crowd ban for trouble, looked set to pay the price as their early performance fell as flat as the atmosphere in the eerily silent 59,000-seat arena.
Looking nothing like the inspired, organised outfit that had defeated Manchester City sensationally 2-1 at the Etihad in their opening Group F match, Lyon were outplayed in the first half.
They deservedly fell behind just before the break to a superb left-foot strike from Moraes.
The Brazilian then doubled the lead with an even better second, curling his slide-rule, side-foot effort into the corner from a narrow angle.
Suddenly, if belatedly, Lyon roused themselves, with Moussa Dembele finally heading one back in the 70th minute after missing two fine chances.
And Leo Dubois struck his first goal for the club just a couple of minutes later.
Both sides hunted for the winner with abandon.
First the Ukrainians looked as if they might collapse under the fightback from Lyon.
Then they almost sealed victory with a late flourish when a shot from sub Olarenwaju Kayode struck the bar.