CHAMPIONS LGE: Two more for Ronaldo as Madrid demolish Dortmund wall
NYON: Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 400th competitive appearance for Real Madrid with his 410th and 411th goals in a commanding 3-1 Champions League win away to Borussia Dortmund.
Gareth Bale struck a superb opening goal on the half-volley with Patrick Aubmeyang giving Dortmund a brief foothold back in the game early in the second half.
In other Group ?? game Harry Kane fired Tottenham to a convincing 3-0 win away to APOEL Nicosia after the Londoners had survived a stressful opening 10 minutes.
Kane struck a ‘perfect’ ninth hat-trick for Spurs with goal one on his left foot and one on his right before he claimed a headed third on 67 minutes.
He said later: “I didn’t know it was nine but I try and score every game and obviously it’s a bonus when I get three. It was a tough game. We weren’t really pleased with how we played in the first half to be honest. At half-time we said we wanted to step it up, (and there were) a couple of chances in that first half that could have gone the other way.
“Even in the second half we came out, maybe weren’t as aggressive as we wanted to be but we were more clinical at vital moments in the game and that’s what you want to do away from home, especially in the Champions League.”
Monaco lost 3-0 at home to Porto, while Besiktas beat Red Bull Leipzig 2-0 in a match slightly held up by partial floodlight failure midway through the second half.
Liverpool endured more Champions League frustration in a 1-1 draw with Spartak Moscow after their earlier 2-2 draw with Sevilla.
The hosts went ahead on 23 minutes thanks to a free-kick from Fernando, which Loris Karius will surely feel he should have saved but Philippe Coutinho made up for his foul which gave away that opportunity with a quality equaliser soon after.
Liverpool came closest in the dying moments, Mo Salah heading straight at substitute goalkeeper Alexander Selikhov who nevertheless did superbly to keep it out.
The result left Liverpool two points adrift of Sevilla in Group E, the Spanish side having beaten Maribor 3-0.
Manchester City were given a thorough examination by Shakhtar Donetsk which they came through with a 2-0 win thanks to a fine curling strike from Kevin De Bruyne followed by a late second from Raheem Sterling, soon after Sergio Aguero had failed to convert a penalty.
############
