Champions League Round-up | Liverpool draw against Sevilla; Real Madrid start title defense with huge win

09/14/2017

Liverpool's first game in the Champions League since 2014 ended in a 2-2 draw against Sevilla at Anfield while Manchester City completely dominated the Dutch side Feyenoord thrashing them 4-0. Thanks to a brace by Cristiano Ronaldo, defending champions Real Madrid beat APOEL Nicosia 3-0.

Liverpool 2 - 2 Sevilla

In a repeat of the 2016 Europa League final, which the Spanish club won in Basel, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah found the net once each for the home side after Wissam Ben Yedder had given Sevilla an early 1-0 lead. However, Joaquin Correa managed to pull off an equalizer that ensured the La Liga side secured a point in the first game of the group stage.

The Eduardo Berizzo-managed side only took five minutes to take the lead as Wissam Ben Yedder tapped in from close range as Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren fell over while trying to clear the ball. Sadio Mane kept piling the pressure on the visiting goalkeeper Sergio Rico with a low drive in a bid to bring his side back in the groove, and that eventually paid off when Roberto Firmino finished off a fine team move from close range.

Liverpool didn’t let the visitors settle after that as they snatched the lead through Mohamed Salah whose strike looped in via a huge deflection off Simon Kjaer in the 37th minute. Just when it looked like Liverpool had done enough to win their first match in the Champions League since 2014, their dreams were shattered when Joaquin Correa found the net with only 18 minutes to go in the match.

Feyenoord 0 - 4 Manchester City

John Stones scored a brace as Manchester City started their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 victory over the Dutch side Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

Stones also registered City's fastest ever goal in the competition with a header after two minutes of the game. Eight minutes after the first goal, Sergio Aguero kept his sublime form going, by latching on to Kyle Walker's cross and volleying into the roof of the net to double the lead of Pep Guardiola’s side.

Aguero's strike partner, Gabriel Jesus, who made his first appearance in the Champions League, made his debut worth-remembering with a goal of his own in the 25th minute that gave the City a 3-0 lead.

Although Feyenoord showcased a vastly-improved performance in the second half, City’s 3-0 lead meant that the English side were never under any serious pressure. Realizing that, City played an attacking brand of football as Stones added his second goal of the match with another header from a corner that wrapped up a one-sided win for the Premier League side.

Real Madrid 3 - 0 APOEL Nicosia

Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo continued his splendid run of form in the Champions League as his brace helped Real Madrid begin their title defence by easing past Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia 3-0.

The Champions League's all-time leading goalscorer opened the scoring for the defending champions in the 12th minute by slotting home from close range and added a penalty in the second half to give the side a 2-0 lead. Defender Sergio Ramos scored the third with an acrobatic overhead kick from close range to give Los Blancos a 3-0 win. The win was a sweet one for the Zinedine Zidane's side which have been held to a pair of draws in their two La Liga fixtures at home this season.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 1 Borussia Dortmund

Fresh from a double against Everton at the weekend, Harry Kane scored another brace as Tottenham started their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Spurs had lost eight of their previous 12 matches at Wembley. But, Kane's predatory finishing ensured Tottenham finally enjoyed a night to remember in their temporary lodgings at the hallowed North London venue.

Tottenham took the early lead through Son Heung-Min, who scored his first goal of the season, in the 4th minute but Andriy Yarmolenko conjured a sublime equalizer via a superb curling finish in the 11th minute of the game to level the scores.

Kane, however, restored Tottenham's advantage before the interval and wrapped up the victory with his second goal after half-time, which gave them an early boost in the battle for a place in the knockout stages.