Real Madrid, Tottenham settle for spoils in Champions League

Real Madrid win 2016 UEFA Super Cup

Real Madrid dropped points at home in the Champions League as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a battling Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

Tottenham took the lead through Raphael Varane’s own goal before Madrid levelled just before half-time thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.

The visitors survived a barrage of Blancos pressure and forced Keylor Navas into two late stops.

Luka Modric started against his former team, taking his place in Madrid’s midfield, but Gareth Bale did not after yet another calf injury ruled him out.

Dani Carvajal was also absent due to an on-going heart problem, resulting in another appearance for teenager Achraf Hakimi at right-back.

Tottenham, meanwhile, sprang a surprise in their XI as Fernando Llorente partnered man-of-the-moment Harry Kane up top, but Dele Alli, Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele were all missing from their midfield.

These two sides last met competitively in the 2010/11 Champions League, when Madrid beat Spurs 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

Varane netted his first-ever own goal for Madrid, when he deflected Serge Aurier’s low cross over Keylor and into the back of his net, with Harry Kane in hot pursuit.

However, Aurier’s desperate challenge saw the Ivorian bring down Toni Kroos in Tottenham’s box, allowing Ronaldo to send Lloris the wrong way from the penalty spot.

In other games, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both grabbed two goals as Liverpool thrashed Maribor 7-0 as Group E rivals, Spartak Moscow walloped Sevilla 5-1.

Manchester City edged visiting Napoli 2-1 while Monaco’s travails continued, slipping to another disappointing defeat at home.

Tuesday’s Champions League results

Real Madrid 1-1 Tottenham

APOEL Nicosia 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

Monaco 1-2 Besiktas

RB Leipzig 3-2 FC Porto

Manchester City 2-1 Napoli

Feyenoord 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk

Maribor 0-7 Liverpool

Spartak Moscow 5-1 Sevilla