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Rediff.com  » Sports » PHOTOS: Dortmund beat Real to top spot, Porto crush Leicester

PHOTOS: Dortmund beat Real to top spot, Porto crush Leicester

Last updated on: December 08, 2016 10:50 IST
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A late goal by substitute Marco Reus saw Borussia Dortmund hold Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw, while Porto eased into the Champions League knockout stages with a 5-0 win over Leicester City. Images from Wednesday's Champions League matches.

Dortmund beat Real to top spot

IMAGE: Borussia Dortmund's players celebrate at the end of their match against Real Madrid. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters

Real Madrid failed to win their Champions League group for the first time in four years when a late goal by substitute Marco Reus allowed Borussia Dortmund to equalise and clinch a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.

Zinedine Zidane's side looked to be on their way to securing first place in Group F when Karim Benzema knocked in Dani Carvajal's cutback in the 28th minute and the French striker stretched their lead by nodding in James Rodriguez's cross in the 53rd.

Dortmund hit back on the hour with a close-range finish from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a goal-line clearance from Reus stopped Cristiano Ronaldo restoring Real's advantage shortly afterwards.

Cristiano Ronaldo

IMAGE: Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the match. Photograph: Juan Medina/Reuters

The Germany international, who had begun the game on the bench after falling ill on Tuesday, tapped in a low cross from Aubameyang to complete the comeback and score his third goal in two Champions League games.

Real equalled a club record of 34 games without defeat in all competitions but the late equaliser left a sour taste on what had been a night of celebration.

Dortmund finished top of the group with 14 points, two ahead of Real, who will play the second leg of their last-16 tie away from home for the first time since 2012/13.

Juventus wrap up top spot with Dinamo victory

IMAGE: Juventus players celebrate after the match. Photograph: Giorgio Perottino/Reuters

Juventus wrapped up top spot in their Champions League group as second-half goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Daniele Rugani secured a 2-0 home victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.

Higuain broke the deadlock with a powerful effort seven minutes after the restart for his first goal in any competition since the start of November.

Rugani headed home from Miralem Pjanic's corner with 17 minutes remaining to wrap up victory and seal the Italian champions' position as Group H winners, three points clear of Sevilla.

It was another dismal night for Dinamo, who became only the third team not to score a goal in the competition's group stages.

Porto crush Leicester 5-0

IMAGE: FC Porto's Jesus Corona scores their second goal. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters

Porto eased into the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday with a 5-0 win over Leicester City's hapless second-string side, who suffered the heaviest defeat ever by an English side in the European Cup.

With their qualification as Group G victors assured, the English champions changed 10 of their first-team line-up, leaving their hosts to cash in hungrily with a double from Andre Silva and fine strikes from Jesus Corona, Yacine Brahimi and Diogo Jota.

No English team had suffered such a huge loss in the 61-year annals of Europe's premier club competition and it was the worst reverse for any Premier League club in continental combat since Everton's 5-0 defeat, also in Portugal, at Benfica in the 2009-10 Europa League.

The dismal performance prompted manager Claudio Ranieri, who has overseen a poor defence of the Foxes' league title while thriving on European nights, to admit afterwards: "I want us to show our character and our strength. We didn't do that well enough.

"I have a clearer idea about my players now."

Spurs beat CSKA to grab Europa League spot

IMAGE: Tottenham's Harry Kane misses a chance to score a goal. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur dressed the wound of their Champions League exit with a 3-1 victory over CSKA Moscow on Wednesday that secured the consolation prize of a place in the continent's second-tier contest.

A well-taken effort from Dele Alli, a Harry Kane tap-in and an Igor Akinfeev own goal helped Spurs overcome Alan Dzagoev's opener for CSKA and wrapped up their first win at their adopted Wembley home.

That was enough for Spurs, whose hopes of reaching the knockout rounds had already ended, to finish third in Group E on seven points, four ahead of CSKA, who could have pipped them to the Europa League qualifying spot.

Things had looked bleak for Spurs when they fell behind after 33 minutes as Dzagoev latched onto a Zoran Tosic header and thumped his effort past Hugo Lloris.

The hosts, however, were by far the better side in the first half and were quickly level as Christian Eriksen's cross found its way through to Alli, who controlled the ball perfectly before shaping a beautiful finish past Akinfeev.

They went ahead on the stroke of halftime as Kane tapped in Danny Rose's cross for his ninth goal in his last nine games in all competitions and rounded off the scoring with 13 minutes remaining when Akinfeev saved Alli's header, only to kick the ball into his own net.

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Source: REUTERS
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