Shakhtar Donetsk stunned 13-time champions Real Madrid again to complete a double over the Spanish giants who are now on the brink of getting knocked out of the Champions League group stage this term.
Brazilian forward Dentinho pounced on an error by Ferland Mendy and Raphael Varane to open the scoring in the 57th minute in a counter-attacking move after Real had taken a corner kick.
The Spaniards did not improve their defending and in the second half, Manor Solomon struck a second for Shakhtar from another counter-attacking move.
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Zinedine Zidane’s side needed a win to secure qualification, but poor defending at the back cost them dearly, especially against counterattacks as they dropped to the third spot in Group B, behind Shakhtar and leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Real’s record of advancing to the knockout stage in all 24 of previous Champions League group-stage campaigns is hanging in the air with things looking tense in the group.
The reigning La Liga champions have leaked in nine goals in five Champions League games this season, its worst defensive record at this stage.
To add some perspective, Real have lost home and away to a Shakhtar side which leaked 10 goals in two defeats to Gladbach.
In the group’s other game, Inter Milan needed a win away at Gladbach to stand any chance of reaching the next round, and rightly so, the in-form Romelu Lukaku stepped up with a brace to keep that hope alive as Inter ran out 3-2 winners.
All four teams in Group B can still qualify, making it the most eye-catching of all the groups this season.
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Gladbach will qualify if they draw in the game with Real Madrid next week, while Inter, who sit fourth in the group can advance with a win over Shakhtar at the San Siro unless Gladbach and Madrid end in a draw.
Elsewhere, six-time champions Liverpool overcame injury problems to beat four-time winners Ajax 1-0 at Anfield, thanks to a second-half goal made in the Liverpool Academy, with Curtis Jones scoring from a cross from Neco Williams after Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana failed to deal with the situation.
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The Reds were without Alisson Becker in goal but a confident debut from young Caoimhin Kelleher in goal kept out Ajax’s attacks, to the delight of manager Jurgen Klopp.
Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker missed the game with a hamstring injury and could be out of action for two weeks.
In Group D’s other game, Danish champions FC Midtjylland forced Atalanta to a 1-1 draw away in Bergamo to register their first Champions League point ever.
Cristian Romero’s goal in the 79th minute canceled out Alexander Scholz’s opener to pull the game level as last year’s quarter-finalists Atalanta searched for a winner but it was too little too late as they settled for a draw to take their tally to eight points, one above Ajax who occupy the third spot.
Ajax must now beat the Italian side at home in next week’s finale to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout round.
Two-time champions FC Porto held already-qualified Manchester City to a barren draw in Portugal, with City clinching top spot.
Porto needed just a point from the game and were hardly troubled against group winners City, who have a strong record of 10 goals for and only 1 against.
That wasn’t the case for French side Marseille, although they at least avoided the humiliation of a 14th straight defeat in the competition as Dimitri Payet scored twice from the spot in a 2-1 home win over Greek side Olympiakos.
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The win leaves both sides on three points each as they slug it out for third spot and a place in the Europa League round of 32.
In Group A, Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich at the Wanda Metropolitano despite the reigning champions resting key players Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer, having already secured qualification for the knockout phase.
Atletico’s Portuguese striker Joao Felix swept in Marcos Llorente’s cross from the byline midway through the first half to give the home side the lead and they looked set for an important win, but Thomas Muller had other ideas as the veteran forward won a penalty, which he calmly converted in the 86th minute as Bayern preserved their unbeaten record.
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In Group A’s other game, Mergim Berisha scored a brace as Salzburg ran out 3-1 winner at Lokomotiv Moscow to move into third place and prevent the Russian side from reaching the round of 16.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico needs only a draw to qualify but Austrian champions Salzburg can upset the odds and bag qualification to the knockout phases if they can muster a win over Atletico Madrid on home soil next week.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHDAY 5 RESULTS
Tuesday 1st December
- Lokomotiv Moscow 1-3 Red Bull Salzburg FT
- Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Real Madrid FT
- Atalanta 1-1 FC Midtjylland FT
- Atletico Madrid 1-1 Bayern Munich FT
- FC Porto 0-0 Manchester City FT
- Liverpool 1-0 Ajax FT
- M’gladbach 2-3 Inter Milan FT
- Marseille 2-1 Olympiakos FC
That’s great