Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan side, won a stunning 2-1 victory away to Real Madrid in Tuesday's Champions League. This was thanks to Sebastien Thill's sensational 89th minute goal.
- Real Madrid ratings: Alaba, Courtois 5/10 in Sheriff shock
- Watch ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. Only)
- Do you not have ESPN? Get instant access
Sheriff, a competition debutant, won against the 13-times European champions at the 25th minute. Jasurbek Yashiboev, Uzbek's midfielder, scored a header that gave Sheriff the lead. He narrowly missed an opportunity to double the visitors' lead in the second half.
Caesars Sportsbook gave Sheriff +2700 odds, making it the biggest underdog to win in the Champions League season. At +1300 odds, Shakhtar Donetsk beat Madrid to win the group stage.
Real Madrid was shocked by Sheriff Tiraspol's Moldovan side. Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Real was dominant in both halves, but Real needed a penalty for a draw. After Vinicius Jr had been felled, Karim Benzema scored his spot-kick at the top corner of the 65th minute. A VAR review determined that Benzema was not allowed to kick a spot kick.
The hosts had a chance to win the match with a real substitute Luka Jovic, but Sheriff got down to the other end quickly and after a throw in the ball fell to Luxembourg's midfielder Thill who fired a devastating shot into the far corner.
Real is second with three points, while Sheriff, a Transnistria breakaway state, leads Champions League Group D with six points. Sheriff was the winner of Champions League Group D. Real came in second with three.
Sheriff won four rounds of qualifying and became the first Moldovan team to participate in Europe's elite club competition. They were surprised by a Champions League side in Shakhtar Donetsk, winning their opening match 2-0.
They were faced with an unbeaten Real team and were outplayed for the majority of the game. However, they pulled off the greatest result in their 24-year history.
Real started strong and Vinicius, Benzema and Real each came close to taking the lead. Athanasiadis made the first of many saves and pushed Benzema's stinging shot over the bar.
However, Carlo Ancelotti's team were outdone when Cristiano took down the left wing of the match and crossed to the unmarked Yakhshiboev who scored into the net.
Real continued to be a threat, Vinicius and Benzema each fired shots just off the target before the half-time break. However, Yakhshiboev could still have scored down the other side of the match following a glaring mistake by Thibaut Courtois, the hosts' keeper.
After Benzema had scored from the spot, the Spaniards appeared set to win the match. However, Sheriff was able to score again through substitute Bruno. The goal was ruled out as offside.
Luka Modric was then stopped by Athanasiadis. He saved a shot from the Croatian with the face of his face before Rodrygo narrowly missed the goal.
Thill's attempt from the box to score the goal that would make Real the winner seemed inevitable, but it was not.
