At the start of the night, the Tottenham Hotspur fans could be heard bellowing in song inside Wembley Stadium. By the end of it, they were leaving, heads shaking with frustration. The Wembley woes continue. Mauricio Pochettino’s men may be unbeaten in the Premier League, but they’re proving to be conquerable here.
Roger Schmidt’s hard-pressing, energetic Bayer Leverkusen side came away with all three points thanks to a second-half strike from Kevin Kampl on a night when Spurs created little, angered plenty and looked horribly loose in possession. It leaves Pochettino’s side on just four points from four games. Two wins from their last two is simply essential. After tonight’s performance, they probably wish they were both away.
“?Meanwhile, Monaco assertively cemented their place as the group’s leaders with a 3-0 drubbing of hapless CSKA Moscow. The side from the principality look a safe bet to swim through to the next round after a brace from Manchester United and Chelsea flop Radamel Falcao set the Ligue 1 outfit on their to victory inside the Stade Louis II.
Falcao, with a reputation of being one of the finest natural marksmen in European football, has always been able to command some of the most voluminous wage packets, but not even El Tigre’s payday can compare to Gareth Bale. The Welsh winger this week put pen to paper on the most lucrative financial package ever offered to a professional footballer, earning a reported £350,000-a-week after tax, but showed exactly why Real Madrid were prepared to splash out in scoring a sumptuous volley against Legia Warsaw.
That’s a special strike from @GarethBale11! What a start for @realmadriden. ? #UCL https://t.co/CCriO7Wzu5
Unfortunately scored inside an empty stadium, Bale’s wonder strike was still not enough for Zinedine Zidane’s holders to clinch all three points, with Legia showing commendable character and resilience in pegging the La Liga giants back to 2-2, before striking late to stand on the cusp of a famous victory, only to be denied by Mateo Kovacic’s equaliser. A breathless game finished 3-3. Adrian Ramos scored the only goal as Borussia Dortmund edged Sporting Lisbon in Group F’s other game to sit top on ten points, two clear of Madrid. Although the big story of the night was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s ‘internal suspension,’ leaving to him exiting the stadium before the game finished tonight.
GONE: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the stadium before Dortmund’s game finished: https://t.co/Z3ubodkfaQ https://t.co/B7znzWKC8E
The prognosis for Spurs may be bleak, but Leicester are within touching distance of the knockout round. Claudio Ranieri’s side held out for a 0-0 draw in Copenhagen, putting the Foxes on ten points after four games, meaning the require just a single point from one of their last two games to qualify. Impressively, Leicester’s defence is yet to be breached in the Champions League this season. Reported Leicester target was on target for Porto as the Portuguese side overcame Club Brugge in the other game.
There are just 3 teams yet to concede a goal in the Champions League this season.
“? Juventus
“? Sevilla
“? Leicester
Immovable objects. ?? pic.twitter.com/h2wM8rjG1p
Finally, Corentin Tolisso struck a late equaliser to deny Juventus victory in Turin after Gonzalo Higuain’s penalty had set the Bianconeri on their way. It’s Sevilla that top the group on ten points then, after they hammered whipping boys Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 in emphatic style, thanks to goals from Luciano Dario Vietto, Sergio Escudero, Steven N’Zonzi and Wissam Ben Yedder.
Champions League FT scores:
Monaco 3-0 CSKA Moscow
Spurs 0-1 Leverkusen
Dortmund 1-0 Sporting CP
Legia 3-3 Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/1klGfvOZUu
Champions League FT scores:
Copenhagen 0-0 Leicester
Porto 1-0 Brugge
Juventus 1-1 Lyon
Sevilla 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb pic.twitter.com/bofTciwg08
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