Shakhtar Donetsk remained well in the hunt for a Round of 16 berth after defeating Real Madrid for the second time this UEFA Champions League group stage.
The Ukrainian side used a pair of second-half goals to down Los Blancos 2-0 at home to leapfrog Real Madrid into second place in Group B. It was a dramatic home win for Shakhtar, who still could earn the top spot on Matchday 6.
Dentinho broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 57th minute after confusion at the back for Real Madrid. A low cross from Viktor Kovalenko was not dealt with by Raphael Varane, allowing Dentinho to race into the box and score past Thibaut Courtois.
After constant pressure from Los Blancos to tie things up, Shakhtar iced the victory in the 82nd minute. Manor Solomon drove upfield for the hosts before hitting a low shot into the bottom-left corner past Courtois for the final nail in the coffin.
Shakhtar keeper Anatolli Trubin made eight saves to preserve the clean sheet and hand Los Blancos a second loss of the group stage.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2 – Inter Milan 3
Inter Milan stayed alive with a 3-2 road win over Borussia Monchengladbach, but VAR was very well the main talking point at Borussia Park.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Antonio Conte’s side picked up its first win of the group stage. Alassane Plea also scored twice for Gladbach, but it wasn’t enough for the Bundesliga side who could be eliminated with a loss at Real Madrid on Matchday 6.
Matteo Darmian’s opener came in the 17th minute for Inter Milan, but Plea scored in first half stoppage time to tie things up for Marco Rose’s side. Lukaku swing the match in Inter’s favor with a brace in a 12-minute span midway through the second half and almost came close to netting a hat trick as well.
Plea’s confident strike in the 76th minute moved Gladbach to within one goal and looked to have tied things up in the 82nd minute. His scuffed shot trickled into the bottom-left corner, but referee Danny Makkelie ruled in favor of offsides with Breel Embolo blocking the view of Samir Handanovic.
Inter hung on to stay alive for a Round of 16 berth and will need to defeat Shakhtar Donetsk at home and also hope for a Gladbach loss in Madrid next week to do so.
Lokomotiv Moscow 1 – Red Bull Salzburg 3
Jesse Marsch’s Red Bull Salzburg stayed alive for a knockout stage berth as well after defeating Lokomotiv Moscow 3-1 in Russia.
The Austrian Bundesliga side scored twice in the first half thanks to a brace from Mergim Berisha while Karim Adeyemi scored a late insurance goal to steal the road victory.
Berisha’s opener came in the 28th minute after Lokomotiv could not clear its box allowing the Kosovo international to score his first of the match. The forward doubled his tally in the 41st minute after a great counter attack from the visitors.
Sekou Koita’s clever through ball allowed Berisha to race forward before chipping a shot over Guilherme.
Anton Miranchuk’s penalty kick goal in the 79th minute gave Lokomotiv some late hope, but it was quickly taken away as Salzburg capped the win. Adeyemi’s breakaway finish iced Salzburg’s second win of the group stage and keeps them alive for a second or third place finish.
Lokomotiv remains alive for a third place finish, but need to defeat Bayern Munich in Germany for any chance of that.
Liverpool 1 – Ajax 0
Liverpool clinched top spot in Group D after a gritty 1-0 win at Anfield over Ajax.
Caoimhin Kelleher stole the show for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, making four saves in his competitive debut for the club. Curtis Jones also scored his first Champions League goal for Liverpool, who did enough to win despite several players out.
Jones’ goal came in the 58th minute after great skill to fool Andre Onana and keep a long cross from Neco Williams in bounds. The midfielder’s poked volley went into the empty net and was all the Reds needed to stay unbeaten in the competition.
Ajax sits in third place and host Atalanta on Matchday 6, needing victory to advance.
Here’s all of Tuesday’s UCL results:
Lokomotiv Moscow 1 – Red Bull Salzburg 3
Atletico Madrid 1 – Bayern Munich 1
Shakhtar Donetsk 2 – Real Madrid 0
Borussia Monchengladbach 2 – Inter Milan 3
FC Porto 0 – Manchester City 0
Marseille 2 – Olympiakos 1
Atalanta 1 – Midtjylland 1
Liverpool 1 – Ajax 0
Congrats to Jesse Marsch and Red Bull Salzburg for the well deserved win today! During the past 2 matchdays, Salzburg actually played super well and competitively tight against the reigning champs Bayern and Lazio 80-90% of both matched. RB Salzburg unfortunately ran out of gas in the final 10-15 minutes during both games and lost eventually.
Chris Richards came in at the 61st minute as a right back and helped Bayern catch up from a 0-1 result against Atletico Madrid. That will be great developments for the USMNT’s young core central defenders. Go Richards and keep up with the good work!