Most soccer fans have never heard about Sheriff Tiraspol until this season. It is because the Moldova champions are playing in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. After playing eight matches in the preliminary stages, they qualified for the group stage of the Champions League.
When the group stage draws pitched Sheriff Tiraspol in group D against 13 time champions Real Madrid of Spain, Inter Milan of Italy who have won the Champions League three times and regular campaigners, Shakhtar Donetsk, book makers and soccer pundits wrote them of. They were called the whipping boys of the group.
When hostilities kicked-off the Moldovan side hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in their first group match. They needed two Africans to send their Ukrainian visitor home, empty-handed. Malian, Adama Traore opened scoring for the home side on the 15th minute before Guinean, Momo Yansane put the icing on the cake on the 62nd minute.
This sterling performance was dismissed as a flash in the pan. Many fans still insist that 13 time champions, Real Madrid will crush the debutants when the visit the refurbished Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid on their part secured a hard-earned 0-1 victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro on match day one.
Hosting their first UEFA Champions League match at the Santiago Bernabeu after 580 days, Sheriff Tiraspol looked like the perfect opponent that Real Madrid will blow away to commemorate the opening of their refurbished stadium.
But, it took only 25 minutes for the visitors to silence the home fans with Jasurbek Yakhshiboev heading in their first goal.
Real Madrid started the second half stronger and were rewarded with a penalty which Karim Benzema converted to restore parity. The believe that the 13 time champions will open their stadium in European matches with a win become stronger as they throw all they have against their lowly rated opponents. Real Madrid had 76% of possession, 31 shots on goal and 11 on target.
But, on the 89th minute, Sebastien Thill’s half-volley rattled Thibaut Courtois in goal for Real Madrid and gave the visitors a victory they will always cherish for the rest of their lives.
Sheriff Tiraspol became the second club to win on their first Champions League trip to the Bernabeu: the first being Arsenal in the 2005/2006 season.
After two matches, Sheriff Tiraspol are not bottom of the table with a huge negative goal difference as pundits had predicted. Rather they are top of the table and still roaring to go.
“Our attention now turns to Inter,” said their visibly elated captain, Frank Castaneda, “and we’ll work hard in order to ensure we keep getting positive results.”
They pulled a great surprise. They just need a draw to qualify for the next stage of the competition