Real salvage draw in thriller at Legia, Schmeichel saves Leicester blushes

Mateo Kovacic's late strike avoided embarrassment for Real Madrid as the European champions surrendered a two-goal lead before drawing 3-3 with Legia Warsaw in an enthralling Champions League game played amid an empty stadium on Wednesday. Croatia midfielder Kovacic capped a fine individual display by rifling in the equaliser in the 85th minute after Legia had come from behind in the Group F encounter to take the lead in the 83rd through Thibault Moulin's powerful finish. UEFA had ordered the game to be played behind closed doors after crowd trouble overshadowed Legia's opener against Dortmund, meaning only several hundred visiting Real supporters witnessed the thriller that featured an historic start. Karim Benzema doubled their advantage in the 35th, taking advantage of a Bale cutback to sidefoot home. Yet Legia hit back with a brilliant piece of skill and finish from Vadis Odjidja five minutes before halftime, while Miroslav Radovic completed a shock comeback by the hosts with an arrowed toe poke into the bottom corner in the 58th. Real are second in Group F on eight points, two behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who qualified by beating Sporting Lisbon 1-0 on Wednesday. Bale, who signed a new five-year contract with the European champions in midweek, got the game off to a flying start by swivelling to hook the ball into the top corner. The Wales international teed up Benzema later in the half with the help of Kovacic and Real looked set to cruise towards a victory that would have qualified them for the last 16, but Legia hit back before the break with Odjidja's wonderful goal. Radovic then took advantage of slack Real defending to drive at the defence and let fly from the edge of the box, sending the ball under Keylor Navas. Aleksandar Prijovic hit straight at Navas but barely a minute later made amends by laying the ball off to Moulin to crash the ball in off the post. Real's blushes were saved barely two minutes later though by Kovacic, who has taken on new importance in the absence of compatriot Luka Modric.

Understudy Ramos heads Dortmund into knockout stage

Last-minute starter Adrian Ramos scored a first-half header to give Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 victory over Sporting on Wednesday and earn a spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League with two Group F matches to spare. Borussia Dortmund's Adrian Ramos scores a goal past Sporting Lisbon's goalkeeper Rui Patricio The 30-year-old Colombian was slipped into the starting lineup an hour before the start after top striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was surprisingly dropped, and he headed in the winner in the 12th minute. Dortmund, without a win in their last four league matches, are top of the group on 10 points and are certain of a top-two finish and a spot in the knockout stage. Sporting's second defeat to the Germans means the Portuguese team, on three points, must win their remaining games as second-placed Real Madrid are now on eight points after their 3-3 draw at Legia Warsaw. Gabon international Aubameyang, who has scored three goals in three games in the competition, was a surprise omission from the squad for what Tuchel described as "internal reasons". Yet with Gonzalo Castro and Raphael Guerreiro back from injury, Dortmund enjoyed the better start. Ramos made the most of his rare start, rising high to connect with a floating Matthias Ginter cross to give Dortmund the lead.GROUP F RESULTSLegia Warsaw 3 Ofoe 40, Radovic 58, Moulin 83   Real Madrid 3 Bale 1, Benzema 35, Kovacic 85Borussia Dortmund 1 Ramos 12   Sporting 0Standings P W D L F A Pts1 Borussia Dortmund 4 3 1 0 11 3 102 Real Madrid 4 2 2 0 12 7 83 Sporting 4 1 0 3 4 5 34 Legia Warsaw 4 0 1 3 4 16 1

Kampl goal gives Leverkusen victory at Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur stumbled at their adopted Wembley home again as Kevin Kampl's second-half goal gave Bayer Leverkusen a 1-0 victory that put the Bundesliga side on course for the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. Slovenian international Kampl's close-range effort after 65 minutes gave Leverkusen a deserved victory - their first on English soil in 10 attempts - to move them above Tottenham into second place in Group E. Tottenham, now without a win in six matches in all competitions, never settled and there was precious little for the majority of the record 85,512 crowd to get excited about. Eric Dier came close to an equaliser when his free kick thumped against the crossbar with eight minutes left but Tottenham left the field to boos after a repeat of their opening 2-1 defeat by Monaco. | With two matches left, Monaco lead the group on eight points after beating CSKA Moscow 3-0. Leverkusen have six and Tottenham have it all to do with four. Tottenham's season has hit a wall since an impressive win over Manchester City last month and they began in edgy fashion against a Leverkusen side who sensed their hosts' unease. With their White Hart Lane ground effected by building work on a new stadium, Tottenham opted to play their home Champions League games at Wembley. But the grandeur of the venue has not had the desired effect on their form. Pochettino looked far from happy as his side continually gave the ball away in dangerous areas in the first half. Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez buzzed around dangerously and should have punished a Kyle Walker error shortly before halftime but his shot was deflected wide.  

Falcao on target as Monaco beat CSKA Moscow

Radamel Falcao netted a double to give Monaco a 3-0 win against CSKA Moscow as the principality side took a big step towards a last 16 spot in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Colombia striker struck his 41st and 42nd goals from 46 matches in UEFA club competitions in the first half after Valere Germain's opener to put the Ligue 1 team on eight points from four games. Bayer Leverkusen are second in Group E after claiming a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, who are third on four points with CSKA in bottom place with two points. CSKA next host Leverkusen while Monaco will take on Tottenham on Nov. 22. Leo Jardim's side got off to a confident start and Germain, collecting a poor clearance, dribbled past Igor Akinfeev and pushed the ball into the empty net in the 13th minute. Falcao doubled the tally in the 29th minute by latching on to fullback Benjamin Mendy's cross from the left and beat the Russian keeper from close range. Monaco's Radamel Falcao celebrates his goal against CSKA Moscow Reuters The Colombian was at it again four minutes before the interval, stabbing the ball past Akinfeev after being picked out by Germain in the area. Second-half substitute Guido Carrillo came close to adding a fourth two minutes from time but his strike hit the post.GROUP E RESULTSTottenham Hotspur 0  Bayer Leverkusen 1 Kampl 65Monaco 3 Germain 13, Falcao 28,41   CSKA Moscow 0Standings P W D L F A Pts1 Monaco 4 2 2 0 7 3 82 Bayer Leverkusen 4 1 3 0 4 3 63 Tottenham Hotspur 4 1 1 2 2 3 44 CSKA Moscow 4 0 2 2 3 7 2

Leicester made to wait after goalless draw in Copenhagen

Leicester City missed the chance to book an early spot in the Champions League's knockout stages as they survived some nervy moments to secure a goalless draw with FC Copenhagen in Group G on Wednesday. Having won their previous three group games, the Premier League champions stood on the brink of reaching the last 16, but Copenhagen denied them the victory they needed, while improving their own qualification hopes. The Danish side's only previous loss in 27 competitive games was a 1-0 reverse to Leicester in their Champions League clash two weeks ago, and on several occasions they threatened to take all three points on home turf. Their best chance came in the 70th minute when Leicester defender Christian Fuchs cleared Benjamin Verbic's effort off the line as the home side pressed forward while the visitors' keeper Kasper Schmeichel made a smart save from Andreas Cornelius in the dying minutes. Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel in action against FC Copenhagen Reuters Riyad Mahrez was once again the most influential creative presence in Claudio Ranieri's side, but the Foxes had to settle for a draw on a chilly night in Copenhagen. With the top two qualifying for the knockouts and two rounds of group matches remaining, Leicester top the standings with 10 points from four games, while Copenhagen are third on five, two behind Porto, who beat Club Bruges 1-0. Leicester were not much better in attack and as both defences flung themselves into the path of the ball to block shots, neither goalkeeper had much to deal with. Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater combined to create an excellent chance for Leicester in the 58th minute but there was nobody on hand to steer the ball home as the latter rifled it across the face of goal. The Danish champions almost stole the win late on as striker Cornelius rose highest to send a downward header into the bottom left corner. Yet Schmeichel, playing his first competitive club game in the city of his birth, reacted quickly, pushing the ball away smartly to maintain Leicester's unbeaten record and secure a fourth straight clean sheet in the competition.GROUP G RESULTSPorto 1 Andre Silva 37   Club Bruges 0FC Copenhagen 0   Leicester City 0Standings P W D L F A Pts1 Leicester City 4 3 1 0 5 0 102 Porto 4 2 1 1 4 3 73 FC Copenhagen 4 1 2 1 5 2 54 Club Bruges 4 0 0 4 1 10 0

Higuain hero and villain as Juve blow early lead

Gonzalo Higuain converted an early penalty for Juventus and then missed a sitter before Olympique Lyonnais hit back late in the game to grab a 1-1 draw in their Champions League match on Wednesday. Corentin Tolisso's 85th-minute header, the first goal that the Italian champions have conceded in four games in Group H, kept alive the French side's slim hopes of reaching the last 16 and kept Juve waiting for at least one more game to book their spot. Juve were gifted an early lead when Higuain burst down the left and found Stefano Sturaro who was clumsily pushed over by Mouctar Diakhaby. Juventus' Gonzalo Higuain celebrates after scoring first goal against Olympique Lyon Reuters The Argentine stepped up and sent Anthony Lopes the wrong way from the spot. However, Higuain turned villain shortly before halftime when he scooped the ball over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy after Mario Mandzukic had won possession off a defender and set him up with a glorious opportunity. In between, Claudio Marchisio sent a low drive agonisingly wide from just outside the penalty area. Juventus, who won 1-0 in Lyon two weeks ago, appeared to sit back after halftime and the visitors enjoyed plenty of possession although they struggled to turn it into genuine chances. Already missing Giorgio Chiellini from their so-called 'BBC' defence, Juventus also saw Leonardo Bonucci limp off in the 67th minute when he had to be replaced by Mehdi Benatia. The revamped defence were caught out with five minutes left when Rachid Ghezzal delivered a superb free kick into the Juve area which was attacked by three players, with Tolisso getting there first to head past Gianluigi Buffon. Juventus threw themselves forward in search of a late winner and Lyon threatened to snatch the points when Alexandre Lacazette ran on to a through ball but Buffon did well to narrow the angle.

Sevilla thump Dinamo 4-0 to close in on last-16 berth

Sevilla edged closer to a berth in the Champions League knockout stages after a solid performance gave the Spanish side a 4-0 home win over 10-man Croatian title holders Dinamo Zagreb in Group H on Wednesday. The result left Sevilla top of the group on 10 points from four games, two ahead of Juventus who were held to a surprise 1-1 home draw by Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon have four points while Dinamo, the only side yet to score a goal in the group stage of Europe's premier club competition this season, have none. Luciano Vietto fired Sevilla ahead in the 31st minute before Sergio Escudero, Steven N'Zonzi and Wissam Ben Yedder sealed the rout after Dinamo right back Petar Stojanovic was sent off on the stroke of halftime for a second bookable foul. Fielding a conservative 4-5-1 formation, Dinamo held their own in the opening 20 minutes before Sevilla moved up a gear and took the lead after Vietto turned away from his marker and beat goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic from a tight angle.GROUP H RESULTSJuventus 1 Higuain 13(pen)  Olympique Lyon 1 Tolisso 84Sevilla 4 Vietto 31, Escudero 66, N'Zonzi 80, Ben Yedder 87   Dinamo Zagreb 0Standings P W D L F A Pts1 Sevilla 4 3 1 0 6 0 102 Juventus 4 2 2 0 6 1 83 Olympique Lyon 4 1 1 2 4 3 44 Dinamo Zagreb 4 0 0 4 0 12 0