Champions League: Real Madrid in trouble despite late fightback

With one level from its opening two video games, Real Madrid is dealing with one other struggle to protect its proud report of qualifying for the knockout stage in all of its seasons within the Champions League. It might have been a complete lot worse for the report 13-time European champions on Tuesday, although.

Heading into the 87th minute in opposition to Borussia Mönchengladbach, Madrid was dropping 2-Zero and on the right track for 4 straight losses within the Champions League for the primary time. However, targets by Karim Benzema after which Casemiro — within the third minute of stoppage time — rescued a 2-2 draw for the Spanish champions, who opened with a 3-2 loss at dwelling to Shakhtar Donetsk final week.

Next up for Madrid is a double-header in opposition to Inter Milan, the group which was speculated to be its hardest rival in Group B however which can be nonetheless and not using a win. A 0-Zero draw at Shakhtar, throughout which Inter hit the crossbar twice, got here every week after a 2-2 draw with Mönchengladbach.

Madrid is in greater bother, although, in its 25th marketing campaign within the Champions League, during which the group has by no means been eradicated within the group stage. Last season, Zinedine Zidane’s facet began in nearly an identical trend, dropping its opener — 3-Zero to Paris Saint-Germain — after which drawing 2-2 in its second match in opposition to Club Brugge. The general normal of its group is harder this time spherical.

“This is going to be a difficult year for everyone,” Zidane stated.

Defending champion Bayern Munich is having no such bother, with a 2-1 victory at Lokomotiv Moscow extending its profitable run within the Champions League to 13 video games. Also on a most of six factors is Manchester City after a 3-Zero win at Marseille, because the English group continues its newest bid to develop into European champion for the primary time.

Liverpool is the opposite group to have gained each of its video games up to now, with Diogo Jota scoring the membership’s 10,000th objective of its 128-year historical past to arrange a 2-Zero dwelling win over FC Midtjylland.

KIMMICH TO RESCUE

Bayern went unpunished for a sloppy efficiency in Moscow as Joshua Kimmich extended the German group’s profitable streak within the competitors with a brilliantly taken 79th-minute objective. Leon Goretzka put Bayern forward within the 13th, however the champions gave up loads of possibilities earlier than Anton Miranchuk lastly took one within the 70th.

Bayern opened with a 4-Zero win over Atletico Madrid, which received its Group A marketing campaign again on observe by rallying to beat Salzburg 3-2. Joao Félix scored twice, together with the winner within the 85th minute. Marcos Llorente opened the scoring for Atlético earlier than Salzburg went forward by means of targets by Dominik Szoboszlai and Mergim Berisha both facet of halftime.

SLICK CITY

Playing and not using a striker didn’t cease Man City racking up the targets in opposition to Marseille. Sergio Aguero is again on the sidelines with a hamstring damage and with Gabriel Jesus additionally injured, City began on the Stade Velodrome with Ferran Torres then Raheem Sterling filling in because the makeshift heart ahead.

Both of them scored, both facet of a objective by Ilkay Gundogan as City backed up its 3-1 win over Porto final week. Porto rebounded from that loss by beating Olympiakos 2-Zero because of targets by Fábio Vieira and Sérgio Oliveira. It was the 100th victory for Porto within the European Cup and Champions League.

Olympiakos opened with a 1-Zero win over Marseille.

FABINHO INJURY

Liverpool’s defensive woes deepened as Fabinho was compelled off with a hamstring damage through the first half of the win over Midtjylland. The Brazil midfielder has been filling in at heart again for Virgil van Dijk, who is probably going out for a lot of months after damaging cruciate knee ligaments. With Joel Matip presently struggling for health, Liverpool has only one match senior heart half in Joe Gomez.

A 19-year-old, Rhys Williams, changed Fabinho and Liverpool was shaky at instances in opposition to the competitors newcomers from Denmark. However, Jota scored within the 55th for a historic objective for Liverpool and substitute Mohamed Salah transformed a stoppage-time penalty.

Duván Zapata scored twice in six minutes as Atalanta rallied for a degree in opposition to Ajax, who went 2-Zero forward because of Dušan Tadić’s penalty and a scruffy objective from Lassina Traoré.

Atalanta is 2 factors behind Liverpool in second place.