2 weeks Ago
Liverpool reigns supreme in the Champions League, toppling defending champion Real Madrid to a stunning 24th place in the 36-team standings on Wednesday. No one bore the weight of Madrid’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield more than Kylian Mbappe. The superstar, brought in during the offseason to revive the club’s European dominance, had a penalty saved in the second half and suffered the indignity of being floored by Conor Bradley’s impeccable tackle – an instant viral sensation.
Under first-year coach Arne Slot, Liverpool is the only team to win all five matches in the competition’s new format. The Reds lead by two points over Inter Milan, with Barcelona trailing by three in third place. Remarkably, Madrid is just one place above elimination with three rounds left.
The top eight teams at the end of January advance directly to the round of 16 in March, while teams in ninth to 24th enter a two-leg playoff round in February. “This doesn’t change much because even with a win it was going to be tough to secure a top-eight finish,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “It was a fair result.
” Monaco missed a chance to move into second place, surrendering a lead after going down to 10 men in the 58th minute during a 3-2 loss at home to Benfica. Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni scored the winning goal in the 88th minute. Borussia Dortmund, the beaten finalist against Madrid in May, climbed to fourth place with a 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb.
Champions League standout Jamie Gittens now has four goals in five games, including a curling shot in the 41st minute to open the scoring in Croatia. The best comeback of the night came at PSV Eindhoven, where the home team trailed Shakhtar Donetsk by two goals in the 87th minute before pulling off a 3-2 victory. United States forward Ricardo Pepi sealed the win with a goal deep in stoppage time.
U.S. defender Cameron Carter-Vickers had an embarrassing own goal for Celtic, playing a no-look pass far beyond goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, in a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.
“One of those things,” Schmeichel said. “Cam gets pressed and hasn’t heard me shout that I’m not in goal.” Congo teammates Ngal’Ayel Mukau and Silas shone in victories for Lille and Red Star Belgrade, respectively.
Mukau scored twice in Lille’s 2-1 win at Bologna, while Silas leveled for Red Star in a 5-1 rout of Stuttgart. Silas, on loan with the Serbian champions from Stuttgart, barely celebrated his goal. Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw with Juventus was preserved by an excellent save from Emiliano Martínez.
The World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper dived low to push away a header from Francisco Conceição. Liverpool’s stand-in right back Bradley was a standout Wednesday, denying Mbappe at high speed in a signature defensive play in the 32nd minute. The 21-year-old Northern Ireland defender, deputizing for the fit-again Trent Alexander-Arnold, joined the attack in the 52nd minute to deliver a key pass to Alexis Mac Allister, who scored the opening goal.
After Mbappe’s penalty was saved by goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 61st minute, Liverpool star Mo Salah missed his own spot kick in the 70th. Substitute Cody Gakpo sealed the win with a header in the 77th. Madrid has now lost three of five games, including defeats at Lille and at home to AC Milan.
The record 15-time European champion faces another tough trip next, traveling to fifth-place Atalanta on Dec. 10. On the same date, Liverpool will visit 30th-place Girona and appears to be cruising into the round of 16.
“You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times,” Liverpool coach Slot said of Madrid. “They were a pain for Liverpool for many years too.” Red Star Belgrade and Sturm Graz ended four-game losing streaks to secure their first points and wins.
Red Star rallied from a fifth-minute deficit against Stuttgart. Silas scored the equalizer in the 12th minute but held up his hands in apology as part of a muted celebration. Sturm Graz earned a 1-0 victory over Girona, the Spanish newcomer to European competitions.
It was the Austrian champion’s first Champions League win since coach Christian Ilzer left to join Hoffenheim..
