Separatists beat rebels: Real Madrid’s huge embarrassment at the Bernabeu

Separatists beat rebels
Real Madrid’s huge embarrassment at the Bernabeu

By Stephan Uersfeld

On the day when the whispers about a possible Super League in European football once again dominated the headlines, a small club from a separatist region caused one of the biggest sensations in Champions League history.

Sebastien Thill’s left calf has a tattoo. It shows him and the famous pot that the Champions League winner can receive. Thill’s left foot then created the miracle of Bernabeu. The dropkick of the 27-year-old from Luxembourg hissed into the left corner of the goal from 18 meters, unsustainable for Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. It was the 89th minute and the 2-1 winning goal for the Moldovan representative Sheriff Tiraspol, this city in the separatist region of Transnistria. The association is financed by a large corporation that also controls politics in the region. (You can find out more about the background in this text by Kevin Schulte).

Thill, the son of a Luxembourg all-rounder and a former footballer, who once scored a goal from the kick-off point in a game between his club CS Grevenmacher and Avenir Beggen, only moved to the end of Europe at the beginning of the year. To finally win a title. Now his name is in the history books of his club, the Champions League and at least one footnote in those of football itself. Even before his father’s. “It’s the best and most important goal of my career. That’s for sure,” said Thill after the game: “We’re so happy. We played a really good game. The team was so brave. Fortunately, I was even able to do this to score a spectacular goal. ”

It was Sheriff’s second goal after Uzbek Jasur Yakhshiboev headed the underdog in the first half. It was the one who locked Real in the “dungeon”, as the Spanish newspaper “Marca” noted. It was also the goal of Los Blancos’ first loss of the season. One that is likely to shake the football world for a while. And which of course should never have existed.

Real wins statistics

After all, the official statistics showed Real Madrid as the winner in all areas of the game. They had 30 shots on goal against four sheriffs, eleven of them came on goal, one clapped on the goal frame. But only Karim Benzema met. By penalty. The 68 percent possession of the ball and the 629 to 177 passes underlined the dominance of the royal team. Alone: ​​It didn’t help them. Goalkeeper Georgios Athanasiadis, a 28-year-old Greek, had a great day. He saved ten shots and stole the award for player of the game. “I’m just happy. It’s so damn difficult to play against these teams, the best in the world,” he said and soon disappeared: “I’m so emotional. If I talk any longer, I start to cry.”

The 13-time Champions League winner was embarrassed to the bone and congratulated anyway. “We had so many shots, your goalkeeper saved a lot. You have to congratulate them on the two goals,” said midfielder Casemiro: “We were in control of the game, had many chances and then they scored a miracle goal.” A miracle goal that will also go down in Real’s club history. “Is the defeat against Sheriff the most embarrassing defeat of all time?” Asked the Spanish newspaper “AS” and answered the question with “Yes”. Henceforth, the 1: 2 against the separatist club from Transnistria is facing a 0: 5 bankruptcy against Kaiserslautern in the 1981 UEFA Cup and a 0: 4 cup defeat against the lower-class Madrid suburb AD Alcorcon from the 2009/2010 season.

“Why not dream?”

“I’ve always dreamed of winning at the Bernabeu,” said Peruvian defender Gustavo Dulanto, who made a free transfer from Boavista Porto to Eastern Europe earlier this year and saved a Luka Modric shot with his head. “I’ve always followed Real. They are the club that has won the most Champions League victories. To beat you here at home: it’s a great success.”

Frank Castañeda, the Colombian captain of Tiraspol, had always believed in this success, in the magic of football. “As captain, I spoke to my team-mates, motivated them and said, ‘Why not dream? This is football. Real Madrid are a historic team, but on the field it’s eleven against eleven. We wanted the win and we got it. “

The 27-year-old, who came to Europe through the Slovakian club FK Senica, had thus summed up the essence of the evening: “Anyone can beat anyone.” Clubs like Real Madrid, but also UEFA, have been working on abolishing this basic idea of ​​the game for a long time. The defeat will not have any major consequences for Real. In their group they are still in second place. They will qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League. The system already cushions them.

Super clubs want predictability

Real Madrid, which has not been a separatist club but has been a rebel club since April, is one of the twelve clubs that caused a stir in the spring with their Super League plans, opposed UEFA, which in turn was reforming the Champions League, which is supposed to make access to the biggest club competition in football more difficult and to cement the situation. During the day the whispering about a possible Super League had picked up speed again. It is far from off the table. Los Blancos’ defeat won’t change that whisper. As wonderful as the story of a sensation is for the viewer, it is just as annoying for the clubs that have brought football to the verge of self-destruction with their greed and need to be able to plan.

But whatever development football will take in the next few years: Sebastien Thill and his teammates from all over the world will remember this evening for a lifetime. The evening when football once again allowed dreams to be made for a moment. The evening on which a small club from a separatist region defeated the largest club in the world.

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