27 Sep 2017

Real impress in Champions League

10:41 am on 27 September 2017

Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice in his 400th game for Real Madrid as the Champions League holders won 3-1 at Borussia Dortmund.

Sevilla, Manchester City, Tottenham, Porto, Napoli and Besiktas all earned victories, while Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw at Spartak Moascow.

Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Holders Real, who had never won in Dortmund, shrugged off indifferent domestic form to make it two wins out of two in Group H.

Tottenham are also on maximum points in the group after Harry Kane grabbed all three goals in a 3-0 victory at Apoel Nicosia, while Dortmund now have an uphill struggle after two defeats.

In a bad night for the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig crashed 2-0 at Besiktas, who top Group G on maximum points.

In Dortmund, Gareth Bale volleyed Real in front and provided the pass for Ronaldo, who was also playing his 150th European cup game, to score five minutes after the break.

Bale had struck with a superb goal in the 18th minute when the Wales striker drifted unmarked into the area to meet Daniel Carvajal's lofted pass with a side-foot volley into the roof of the net.

Dortmund were back in the game when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang turned in Gonzalo Castro's low cross in the 53rd minute, but Ronaldo raced on to a Luka Modric pass to finish emphatically for his second goal and his 112th in Europe in the 79th.

Manchester City stayed unbeaten for a 10th Champions League home game with a 2-0 defeat of Shakhtar Donetsk to take charge at the top of Group F.

Kevin de Bruyne broke the deadlock with an unstoppable shot from 20 metres in the 48th minute as Pep Guardiola's side went to a maximum six points.

City were denied a second goal when Sergio Aguero saw his 72nd-minute penalty saved by keeper Andriy Pyatov, but substitute Raheem Sterling made sure with a shot off the underside of the bar in the 89th.

Napoli draw level in the group with Shakhtar thanks to a 3-1 victory over Feyenoord.

Lorenzo Insigne netted after seven minutes, Dries Mertens made it two shortly after the break and Jose Callejon scored a third, while the Dutch side failed to convert a penalty but netted a late consolation through Sofyan Amrabat.

Besiktas took charge of Group G with a 2-0 defeat of RB Leipzig - in a match interrupted for 10 minutes by a part floodlight failure - to make it two straight victories, while Porto earned a 3-0 win at Monaco, with Vincent Aboubakar bagging a brace.

Ryan Babel opened the scoring for Besiktas in Istanbul before Brazilian midfielder Talisco headed the second shortly before the break.

Sevilla head Group H after a 3-0 win over visiting Maribor, Wissam Ben Yedder scoring twice before the break and making it three from the penalty spot seven minutes from time.

After their opening 2-2 draw with Sevilla, Liverpool were pegged 1-1 at Spartak Moscow, Philippe Coutinho levelling after a Fernando direct free-kick put the Russians ahead.

-AAP