CSKA Moscow’s Croatian midfielder Nikola Vlasic (centre) celebrates with team-mates after scoring goal against Real Madrid CF in Moscow, yesterday.
Moscow: Defending champions Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat at the UEFA Champions League as they fell to CSKA Moscow 1-0 in a group G clash in Moscow, yesterday.
Toni Kroos gifted the hosts their goal in the second minute with a terrible backpass that was picked up by Nikola Vlasic, on loan from Everton, and he fired past Keylor Navas from the edge of the penalty area.
Karim Benzema, Casemiro and Mariano hit the woodwork for Real, as the Spanish side, without the injured Gareth Bale, pushed for an equaliser.
CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was sent off four minutes into injury time for two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent.
Nevertheless, the hosts held on to the top of Group G above Real, who dropped down to second.
Meanwhile, Manchester City overcame a first-minute setback to relaunch their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory at Hoffenheim, clinched by a late David Silva winner, yesterday.
The Premier League champions and current leaders, urgently needing a win after their opening week Group F defeat at home by Olympique Lyonnais, were rocked by an Ishak Belfodil goal after just 44 seconds.
Sergio Aguero’s equaliser seven minutes later seemed to have set them back on course as they dominated the opening half but the Bundesliga side, bold and enterprising, held on until Silva cashed in on a late defensive error.
Hoffenheim’s home debut in the Champions League group stages started perfectly for the high-flying ‘village club’ who have come so far so quickly in the Bundesliga, with Algerian Belfodil latching on to a neat through ball from Kerem Demirbay to slot home.
The quickest goal City had ever conceded in the competition was another shock to their system after their loss to Lyon, their only defeat of the season in any competition so far. Normal service was quickly resumed, though, when a fine ball from Silva found the outstanding Leroy Sane, who picked out Aguero to bundle home his eighth goal in 10 matches this season.
Raheem Sterling, after a lightning end-to-end break, and Aguero went close to putting City ahead as they piled on the pressure.
Yet after the break, 31-year-old Julian Nagelsmann’s side, reflecting the enterprise of the youngest manager in Champions League history, held on staunchly as City ramped up their attacks.
In another match, Juventus playmaker Paulo Dybala flourished in the absence of suspended Cristiano Ronaldo yesterday, scoring a hat-trick to give the Serie A champions a 3-0 win over Young Boys.
Ronaldo, sent off in last month’s 2-0 win over Valencia, missed his first game since joining the Turin club in July but Juventus made light of his absence as they cantered to their ninth straight win of the season in all competitions.
Juve went ahead after five minutes with the simplest of goals. Defender Leonardo Bonucci sent a long ball looping over a flat Young Boys defence and Dybala timed his run perfectly to volley gently past David von Ballmoos.
Dybala hit the inside of the post after the restart and although Young Boys then enjoyed another good spell, they were caught out again in the 69th minute.
Juan Cuadrado was released on the right and his ball into the area was touched in by Dybala who became the fourth Juventus player to score a Champions League hat-trick.
