PARIS: Serge Gnabry scored four second-half goals as Bayern Munich came from behind to hand last season’s runners-up Tottenham Hotspur a stunning 7-2 home defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday after Real Madrid escaped with a 2-2 draw against Club Brugge.
There were routine wins for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, while Cristiano Ronaldo netted in a comfortable Juventus victory, but most of the drama was in north London.
The evening started well for Spurs as Son Heung-min fired across Manuel Neuer and into the far corner to give Mauricio Pochettino’s team the lead against Bayern.
However, the German champions came roaring back to leave Spurs on the receiving end of the biggest ever home defeat for an English team in Europe. It was the first time they had ever conceded seven goals in a home game.
“In football it can happen. Every single touch went in. We are very disappointed and very upset but we have to stay together,” a shellshocked Pochettino told BT Sport.
Two super strikes from Joshua Kimmich and Robert Lewandowski had Bayern ahead at the break and Gnabry, the former Arsenal winger, then scored two goals two minutes apart to make it four early in the second half.
Harry Kane reduced the arrears from the penalty spot, but Gnabry ran through to complete his hat-trick on 83 minutes and he smacked in the seventh goal after Lewandowski had netted his second of the evening.
In Messi’s footsteps
“It’s difficult to put this into words, winning 7-2. None of us would have imagined this,” Gnabry told SkySport.
“To have scored four goals is also an amazing feeling. I imagine all the Arsenal fans enjoyed that one!”
The last player to score four in a game against English opposition was Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Arsenal in 2010.
The result means last season’s beaten finalists already face a struggle to qualify from Group B after they drew at Olympiakos in their opening game.
The Greek club were beaten 3-1 at Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday despite Ruben Semedo giving them the lead as the second-half sending-off of Yassine Benzia for the visitors changed the game.
Meanwhile, City beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium to make it two wins from two in Group C.
Ilkay Gundogan hit the bar for Pep Guardiola’s team in the first half before Riyad Mahrez squared for Raheem Sterling to tap in the 66th-minute opener. Sterling then turned provider for Phil Foden to secure the points in stoppage time.
Casemiro rescues Real
In the same group, Israeli forward Manor Solomon netted the winner deep in injury time as Shakhtar Donetsk came from behind to beat Atalanta 2-1 in Milan.
In Madrid, record 13-time champions Real were 2-0 down at half-time against Club Brugge, for whom Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis scored a first-half brace.
But Zinedine Zidane’s team came storming back as Sergio Ramos headed in before Casemiro claimed a dramatic equaliser in the 85th minute, seconds after Ruud Vormer had been sent off for the visitors. “I would like to keep the second half and forget the first,” said Zidane afterwards. “The goals we conceded were laughable.”
It is a first point for Real in Group A, which is led by PSG. The French club, again missing the suspended Neymar, beat Galatasaray 1-0 in Istanbul thanks to Mauro Icardi’s second-half goal.
Meanwhile, Gonzalo Higuain set Juventus on their way to a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in Turin before he set up Federico Bernardeschi to double their lead and Ronaldo completed the scoring late on.
That strike means the 34-year-old Portuguese forward has now scored a Champions League goal against 33 different opponents, equalling a record set by Raul. — AFP
Uefa Champions League results:
Group A
At Madrid
Real Madrid (ESP) 2 (Ramos 55, Casemiro 85) Club Brugge (BEL) 2 (Dennis 9, 39)
At Istanbul, Turkey
Galatasaray (TUR) 0 Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 1 (Icardi 52)
Group B
At Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade (SRB) 3 (Vulic 63, Milunovic 87, Boakye 90) Olympiakos (GRE) 1 (Semedo 37)
At London
Tottenham (ENG) 2 (Son 12, Kane 61-pen) Bayern Munich (GER) 7 (Kimmich 15, Lewandowski 45, 87, Gnabry 53, 55, 83, 88)
Group C
At Milan, Italy
Atalanta (ITA) 1 (Zapata 28) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 2 (Moraes 41, Solomon 90+5)
Group C
At Manchester, England
Manchester City (ENG) 2 (Sterling 66, Foden 90+5) Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 0
Group D
At Turin, Italy
Juventus (ITA) 3 (Higuain 17, Bernardeschi 62, Ronaldo 89) Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 0
At Moscow
Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS) 0 Atletico Madrid (ESP) 2 (Felix 48, Partey 58)
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