Champions League round-up: Late, late show earns Real Madrid three points

Meanwhile, Dundalk’s conquerers Legia Warsaw were on the end of a thrashing

Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata celebrates his goal with team mates James Rodriguez and Luka Modric during their Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon. Photo: Susana Vera/Reuters

Real Madrid 2 Sporting Lisbon 1

Late strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata gave Real Madrid a last-gasp 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon as the European champions came from behind to win the first game of their Champions League defence.

Ronaldo denied his Portuguese boyhood club a famous win by scoring an equaliser from a free-kick in the 89th minute just when it seemed Madrid could, sensationally, lose their opening game in Group F.

Morata then headed home deep in injury time to complete the fightback.

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Brazilian Bruno Cesar had earlier given the visitors a surprise yet deserved lead in the 47th minute as he pounced on indecision in the Real back line.

Real took their time to respond to going behind with Ronaldo missing a gilt-edged chance to level when he struck the near post from a couple of yards out.

Legia Warsaw 0 Borussia Dortmund 6

Borussia Dortmund achieved their biggest European win, hammering Polish champions and play-off conquerers of Dundalk Legia Warsaw 6-0 away from home to get off to the perfect start in their Group F campaign.

Mario Goetze led the Germans‘ rout, opening the scoring and also assisting on two goals on a miserable night for the Poles that was marred by crowd trouble with home fans involved in fighting.

Dortmund dominated from the outset with Goetze finishing off a cross from youngster Ousmane Dembele after just seven minutes.

Fans of the first Polish team in 20 years to reach the Champions League group stages, who packed the 28,000-seater stadium in Warsaw, quickly turned silent as Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Marc Bartra scored within the next 10 minutes.

Dortmund visibly slowed the pace of their attacks in the second 45 minutes but still effortlessly scored another three goals through Raphael Guerreiro, Gonzalo Castro and star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The easiest of wins saw Dortmund take an early lead in the group on goal difference ahead of Real Madrid who beat Sporting Lisbon.

In the stands, a group of hooligans wearing balaclavas tried to break into the Dortmund sector from Legia‘s side in the first half, and ended up fighting and spraying gas at the security guards.

Juventus 0 Sevilla 0

A Gonzalo Higuain header that hit the crossbar was the closest Juventus came to breaking the deadlock in their Group H opener against Sevilla in Turin.

Sami Khedira, playing his 50th Champions League match and fifth for Juve, had two chances to put the Italians ahead in the opening quarter of an hour and Paulo Dybala was foiled by keeper Sergio Rico, who time and again kept Sevilla in the match.

Just before the hour was up Higuain headed a Dani Alves cross onto the bar in the clearest chance of the match.

Sergio Escudero had Sevilla‘s only effort on target in the 27th minute but it was easily dealt with by Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Europa League holders Sevilla lacked punch up front but will be pleased having taken a potentially valuable point.

Lyon 3 Dinamo Zagreb 0

Olympique Lyon enjoyed a memorable Champions League opener in their new stadium after a classy performance by midfielder Corentin Tolisso helped them to a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a Group H clash.

Having bid farewell to their old Stade de Gerland ground with three home defeats in Europe’s premier club competition last term, Lyon delighted their fans in Parc OL and should have won by a bigger margin.

The 22-year old Tolisso opened the scoring with a thumping 13th-minute header and set up the third for striker Gnaly Maxwell Cornet after Jordan Ferri made it 2-0 with a dinked finish early in the second half.

Lyon missed a barrage of chances as the visitors barely got out of their own half for long spells.

Dinamo keeper Adrian Semper saved a cheeky backheel from Cornet in the 10th minute but poor defending left the 18-year old at the mercy of Lyon’s fluid 3-5-2 formation which had the Croatian title holders chasing shadows all evening.

Dinamo twice hit the bar after the home side took their feet off the gas pedal, with El-Arbi Hilal Soudani missing the target from point-blank range before substitute Mario Situm rattled the woodwork with a fierce shot in the 87th minute.

Porto 1 Copenhagen 1

A second-half header by Andreas Cornelius gave visitors FC Copenhagen a share of the spoils as they drew 1-1 with Porto in their opening Group G clash.

The home side went ahead in the 13th minute when Otavio Edmilson dispossessed Copenhagen midfielder Thomas Delaney on the edge of his penalty area before playing a quick one-two with Andre Silva and rifling home the ball.

Striker Cornelius, 23, hit back early in the second half, heading his own mis-hit shot to send the ball looping over Iker Casillas and into the net.

Copenhagen midfielder Jan Gregus was sent off for a second yellow card in the 66th minute but despite a flurry of chances in the final 24 minutes Porto could not make the advantage pay and the game ended in a draw.

CSKA Moscow 2 Bayer Leverkusen 2

CSKA Moscow came from two goals down to earn a deserved point with a 2-2 draw at Bayer Leverkusen in their Group E opener.

The visitors got off to the worst possible start and found themselves two down after just 15 minutes following goals from Admir Mehmedi and Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Russian champions were shell-shocked and were all at sea defensively. The hosts had chances to extend their lead further, but were denied by CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who despite not having kept a clean sheet in the competition for almost a decade, kept his side in the match.

Two CSKA goals in three minutes towards the end of the first half then turned the game on its head.

Alan Dzagoev scored a fine individual effort before Roman Eremenko found the back of the net after slipping the ball through Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno‘s legs.

Both sides looked vulnerable at the back, but neither could find a winner in the second half.