Moldovan champions Sheriff managed one of the most remarkable results in Champions League history on Tuesday as they upset 13-time winners Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The competition newcomers showed that they would be no pushovers in their debut group match two weeks ago by defeating Shakhtar Donetsk in Tiraspol.
Striker Jasurbek Yakhshiboev sounded the first alarm for the Merengue when he headed Sheriff ahead 25 minutes into the first half.The hosts racked up no less than 13 shots in the opening 45 minutes, but could find no way past Georgios Athanasiadis who had a night to remember between the posts. Just past the hour mark it seemed nevertheless that Madrid would recover from that early scare, as Karim Benzema converted from the penalty spot to level at 1-1.
Luxembourg international Sebastien Thill soon smashed home a brilliant half-volley in the 90th minute to restore Sheriff's advantage. The 27-year-old Thill fired home a sublime half volley with 62 seconds of regular time remaining at the Santiago Bernabeu and they were able to see out the final nerve-wracking moments to claim victory.