Real Madrid 2 Borussia Dortmund 2: Last gasp Marco Reus goal means Dortmund top group as Cristiano Ronaldo hits post
Karim Benzema double looked to have secured a hard fought win for Real Madrid but late equaliser leaves Ronaldo to rue close range miss
MARCO REUS’ last-gasp leveller stunned Real Madrid and gave Borussia Dortmund top spot in Group F.
Boss Zinedine Zidane’s European champions Real equalled the 34-match club record unbeaten streak set in the 1988-89 season by Dutch legend Leo Beenhakker.
It was a thriller in a packed Bernabeu as Karim Benzema gave holders Real a two-goal lead with strikes either side of half-time.
But £70million Madrid target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back on the hour.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit a post as both sides wasted incredible chances.
It was a night of spectacular football – a slug-fest by two of Europe’s finest sides.
And just before the end supersub Reus gave Dortmund a huge morale-booster ahead of next week’s draw.
Still, Zizou’s Real will not be too unhappy about the outcome.
The group winners they may face are Juventus, Arsenal, Leicester, Monaco, and Napoli. Madrid will not be pitted in the last 16 against either fellow Spanish sides Barcelona or Atletico, both group winners too.
By finishing runners-up Real avoided Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica in Monday’s draw.
It was up-and-down, blink-and-you-miss-it stuff.
Cynics suggested at half-time it was like a very “competitive friendly”.
It was anything but.
Group F top spot was at stake and almost like gluttons for punishment both teams seemed to want it. Desperately.
Even though it would mean much more difficult likely opponents in Monday’s draw.
Madrid were happy to hit the Germans in transition quickly and clinically.
Casemiro’s crunching challenge on Julian Weigl fell to Ronaldo who set up Karim Benzema but Roman Weidenfeller saved the France striker’s instant blast.
And the Dortmund keeper saved again to deny James Rodriguez after Ron’s simple through pass.
James, a surprise starter for Zidane, then forced another save from Weidenfeller.
Madrid took a deserved lead on 28 minutes after Dani Carvajal’s perfect low cross which Benzema turned into the net from two yards out.
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Dortmund regained command of the ball and kept probing till Ousmane Dembele found Christian Pulisic in the clear but Keylor Navas saved the one-v-one eight minutes from the interval.
Moments later Navas was the hero again as he turned Andre Schurrle’s free-kick around the post with a reflex save.
Gonzalo Castro’s pass to Aubameyang was a touch too long as Borussia wasted another great chance to level.
Boss Thomas Tuchel’s men should have been level three minutes into the restart as Dembele flew past four Real stars but fired inches wide of Navas’ goal.
Up the other end Benzema missed a sitter, firing straight at Weidenfeller with Marc Bartra blocking James’ effort on the rebound just before it crossed the line.
But on 53 minutes James crossed and Benzema headed home his second.
Right on the hour Real’s £70million target Pierre Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back from close range.
Ronaldo could have won it but hit the post with 12 minutes left - and Dortmund had the last word.
Supersub Reus grabbed a close-range leveller two minutes from time and it was no more than the German side deserved.
