Sheriff take down Real Madrid in incredible Bernabeu upset

Moldovan champions Sheriff managed one of the most remarkable results in Champions League history on Tuesday as they upset 13-time winners Real Madrid 2-1 at the Estadio Bernabeu.

The competition newcomers showed that they would be no pushovers in their debut group campaign two weeks ago with victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Tiraspol.

But even the players themselves seemed barely able to believe it as they celebrated their second consecutive triumph against the Spanish giants.

An historic upset

Madrid had also kicked off their Champions League quest with three points, on the road against Inter, and could have been forgiven for expecting a straightforward evening in front of their own fans.

But despite dominating possession Carlo Ancelotti's men failed to impress, and spent almost the entire game behind to their unheralded rivals in Madrid's first-ever game against Moldovan opposition.

Striker Jasurbek Yakhshiboev sounded the first alarm for the Merengue when he headed Sheriff ahead 25 minutes into the first half.

The hosts racked up no less than 13 shots in the opening 45 minutes, but could find no way past Georgios Athanasiadis who had a night to remember between the posts.

Just past the hour mark it seemed nevertheless that Madrid would recover from that early scare, as Karim Benzema converted from the penalty spot to level at 1-1.

But there was still time for one more twist, courtesy of Luxembourg international Sébastien Thill.

The midfielder smashed home a brilliant half-volley in the 90th minute to restore Sheriff's advantage, and they were able to see out the final nerve-wracking moments to claim victory.

The bigger picture

Located in the de facto independent Transnistria region of Moldova, Sheriff have taken the long way to Champions League success.

The club entered the competition way back in the first qualifying round, and played no fewer than eight games in order to book their place in the group stage.

They have also made a strong start to their domestic campaign, winning six of their opening eight fixtures as they seek to win their seventh consecutive Moldovan National Division title.

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