Real Madrid on Tuesday came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in the UEFA Champions League with Vinicius Junior scoring a hat-trick, as Aston Villa maintained their 100 percent record to go top of the table.
Vinicius struck three times in the second half, as Madrid bounced back from two goals down to inflict further anguish on Dortmund — in a repeat of last season’s final, which Madrid won 2-0.
First-half goals in quick succession by Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens had given Dortmund a two-goal lead at halftime.
Photo: Reuters
“Things were very quiet when we got to the dressing room 2-0 down at halftime,” Vinicius, 24, told Movistar. “But we listened to the boss [coach Carlo Ancelotti] and agreed one simple thing: If we can score first then we’ll fight back and win once again.”
The 15-time champions duly struck back early in the second period with goals from Antonio Rudiger and Vinicius, before Lucas Vazquez sent Madrid ahead and the Brazilian netted two more inside the final 10 minutes.
Arsenal emerged 1-0 winners at home to Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk thanks to an own-goal from the visitors’ goalkeeper.
Dmytro Riznyk could only grasp at thin air after Gabriel Martinelli had cut in from the left and smacked the ball against the near post before it rebounded back off the goalkeeper and over the line. Leandro Trossard missed a penalty near the end, but Arsenal had already done enough to secure their second win of the tournament.
Fellow Premier League side Aston Villa are enjoying an excellent return to European soccer’s top table after 41 years as they won their third match in three Champions League outings this term with a 2-0 victory against Bologna.
Elsewhere, VfB Stuttgart sank Juventus 1-0 in Turin, while PSV Eindhoven surprised Paris Saint-Germain with a Noa Lang goal against the run of play in the first period, before Achraf Hakimi hit back on 55 minutes to ensure the points were shared.
AC Milan beat 10-men Club Brugge 3-1, AS Monaco won 5-1 at home to Red Star Belgrade, Sporting beat Sturm Graz 2-0 and Girona picked up their first points with a 2-0 win at home to Slovan Bratislava.
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