Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Sport

English teams shine in Champions action

Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Marwan Kabha of NK Maribor battle for ball control in the early going of their match at Anfield. (Reuters photo)

Tottenham stunned Champions League holder Real Madrid 3-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the knockout phase for only the second time and increase the pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane.

Liverpool and Manchester City also won their matches.


FULL RESULTS
   GROUP E
Liverpool 3-0 NK Maribor
Sevilla 2-1 Spartak Moscow
   GROUP F
Napoli 2-4 Manchester City
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 Feyenoord
   GROUP G
Besiktas 1-1 Monaco
FC Porto 3-1 RB Leipzig
   GROUP H
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Apoel Nicosia
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Real Madrid


The European champions in three of the last four seasons hadn't been beaten in the group stage for five years, and the humbling in London came straight after Madrid's Spanish league defence was hit by a surprise loss at Girona.

Madrid were torn apart too easily by Tottenham, a club that hasn't won the English league since 1961. Dele Alli, suspended for the opening three games in Group H, made an explosive return to the Champions League with two goals.

Christian Eriksen also netted for Tottenham in the 65th minute to build a commanding lead that ensured Cristiano Ronaldo's strike in the 80th was a mere consolation.

The victory took Tottenham three points clear of Madrid at the top of the group, ensuring passage into the last 16 with two games to spare. Tottenham, who where eliminated in the group stage last season, have only competed in the knockout phase once before in the 2010-11 season when they were eliminated by Madrid in the quarterfinals.

Then, Madrid beat Tottenham 5-0 on aggregate, but the tables have turned. Last month, Tottenham secured a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital and now have beaten Madrid for the first time as Zidane endured one of the most painful games of his 22-month reign.

Liverpool cut loose after halftime to beat Maribor 3-0 and take a one-point lead in Group E.

Mohamed Salah and Emre Can scored either side of James Milner's missed penalty before a late third by Daniel Sturridge, as Liverpool followed up their 7-0 win over the Slovenian team two weeks ago with another convincing victory at Anfield.

Liverpool can secure a top-two finish and a place in the knockout stage by beating Sevilla on Nov 21 in the fifth round of games.

Sevilla beat Spartak Moscow 2-1 in the other group game Wednesday.

At Naples, Sergio Aguero became Manchester City's all-time leading scorer after netting the team's third and winning goal as the English Premier League leader swept to a 4-2 victory over Napoli, and a spot in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

The Argentina striker moved onto 178 goals for City _ one clear of Eric Brook, who scored 177 goals in 453 appearances from 1928-1940.

Aguero has scored his tally of goals in 264 games for City since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

City's superior physicality and height advantage proved the difference after Pep Guardiola's side was able weather intense pressing by Napoli in the opening half hour.

City leads Group F with a maximum 12 points from four games. Shakhtar Donetsk is next with nine following a 3-1 win over Feyenoord. Serie A leader Napoli has three points and will struggle to get through, while Feyenoord remained with zero and was eliminated from contention.

Aguero finished off a swift counterattack in the 69th minute to move onto 178 goals for City _ one clear of Eric Brook, who scored 177 goals in 453 appearances from 1928-1940.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.