Real, Spurs win Champions League openers

Real, Spurs win Champions League openers

Dortmund's US midfielder Christian Pulisic (left) and Tottenham Hotspur's Ivorian defender Serge Aurier battle for the ball during the Uefa Champions League first leg match at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night. (AFP photo)
Dortmund's US midfielder Christian Pulisic (left) and Tottenham Hotspur's Ivorian defender Serge Aurier battle for the ball during the Uefa Champions League first leg match at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night. (AFP photo)

LONDON: Defender Jan Vertonghen scored once and set up another goal for Son Heung-min as Tottenham Hotspur beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday to give them the clear edge following the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.

The Belgian notched his first goal in the Champions League with a well-timed volley in the 83rd minute after he had set up forward Son for a 47th minute lead. Substitute Fernando Llorente grabbed their third in the 86th.

That was Son's ninth goal against Dortmund in 11 matches, with the South Korean, who played in the Bundesliga from 2010-15, having also scored twice in the competition's group stage last season.

The Bundesliga leaders, who were eliminated from the German Cup last week, were nowhere to be seen in the second half, with speedy teenager Jadon Sancho given no space to operate after the break. The return leg is on March 5.

"The first goal rattled us," Dortmund's Mario Goetze told reporters. "And then the double strike towards the end killed us off. We were good in the first half but this is very bitter. We now need to get back on track."

Before Wednesday, Tottenham, playing without injured captain Harry Kane and Dele Alli, had never won a home match in the knockout stage of the competition and Lucas Moura came close with a fine shot in the seventh minute.

Dortmund, themselves missing injured captain Marco Reus and top striker Paco Alcacer, gradually took control and had the better chances in the first half with Christian Pulisic firing onto keeper Hugo Lloris and the Frenchman saving a point-blank header from Dan-Axel Zagadou.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam, Marco Asensio scored a late winner for Real Madrid in a 2-1 victory at Ajax Amsterdam, who were left to rue a goal disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Asensio netted in the 87th minute from Dani Carvajal’s excellent cross to give Real the advantage heading into the return leg on March 5.

Karim Benzema swept holders Real into the lead in the second half, before Hakim Ziyech scored a deserved equaliser as an energetic Ajax created more than enough chances to win comfortably on the night.

They were also denied a first-half opener when Nicolas Tagliafico headed home but for the first time in Champions League history, the goal was ruled out after Slovenian referee Damir Skomina checked with the VAR and Dusan Tadic was judged offside.

Ajax are seeking to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years, while Real have not lost a tie at this stage in almost a decade.

Ajax made the brighter start and should have gone ahead when right back Noussair Mazraoui put his shot wide after finding himself the furthest player forward with only Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to beat.

Tadic then held off Sergio Ramos to fire in a shot that hit the post, and Ziyech missed another one-on-one chance with Courtois as Ajax’s incisive passing stretched the visitors.

The home side thought they had profited from a horror error by Courtois, who allowed a Donny van de Beek header to spill from his grasp and Tagliafico nodded the rebound into an empty net.

Yet Skomina called for a VAR check and after a number of replays, ruled that Tadic had been standing in an offside position when the goal was scored.

Benzema tested the reflexes of home goalkeeper Andre Onana just after the break, a warning of his threat that was not heeded as he netted on the hour-mark with a rasping finish into the top-corner having been given acres of space in the box.

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