The experts gave FC Sheriff Tiraspol a 2 percent chance of winning at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Madrid on Tuesday. The Moldovan club pulled off the most unlikely upset in Champions League history to win 2-1.
If you were to put $100 on Sheriff defeating Real Madrid, you would have won $2,800. The result is mindboggling, and it came in the most dramatic fashion with an 89th minute screamer from Luxembourg international Sebastien Thill.
SHERIFFFFFFFF! WHAT A GOAL TO UPSET REAL! pic.twitter.com/pxQVlbfVCl
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 28, 2021
Even the commentator was left speechless. There were simply no words to describe what had just happened.
Per Transfermarkt, Thill’s market value is $440 thousand. The cheapest player on Real Madrid’s starting XI was Miguel Gutiérrez who has a market value of $5.5 million. Sheriff’s most valuable player is Frank Castañeda who is worth $1.1 million. Casemerio is worth $77 million.
Real Madrid’s starting XI vs. Sheriff has a combined market value of $511.5 million. The Moldova Minnows starting XI value? $6.875 million.
Sheriff had turned the soccer world upside for 40 minutes when it held a 1-0 lead against the 13-time Champions League winners at the Santiago Bernabéu. A beautiful cross from Cristiano (no, not that one) helped give Sheriff the lead in the 25th minute.
NEWCOMERS SHERIFF TAKE THE LEAD OVER 13-TIME UCL CHAMPS REAL MADRID pic.twitter.com/DvruLvXfaS
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 28, 2021
From that point on the Moldovan club looked like the damn 300. Every Real Madrid attack was brushed to the side and it truly was the most valiant defending I’ve seen in years. Sheriff’s Greek goalkeeper Athanasiadis looked like he was knocked unconscious at one point after taking a Luka Modric rocket to the side of the face.
The Moldovan Miracle looked like it was coming to an end when Real Madrid equalized via a Karim Benzema penalty kick in the 65th minute.
Karim Benzema is the fourth highest goalscorer in #UCL history pic.twitter.com/dOlay5boOk
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 28, 2021
After Benzema’s goal it felt as if Los Blancos would find a second to put the game away. All Sheriff needed was one opportunity. Thill wasn’t going to waste his chance. Let’s watch that screamer one more time with a different commentator.
Real Madrid 1-2 Sheriff
⚽️ 89' Sebastien ThillBu hesap kapanabilir, takip: @golkoliktv pic.twitter.com/Y7KSvO6BNN— Takip: @golkoliktv (@depo_golkolik14) September 28, 2021
Sheriff is now one of four teams to have six points from the first two Champions League matches and sits atop Group D.
Champions League debutants Sheriff = Group D leaders with 100% record #UCL pic.twitter.com/B4pbCAn0HR
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 28, 2021
This result is without a doubt the biggest Champions League upset in history. For a club that nearly no one has heard of to walk into the Bernabéu and grab three points is unthinkable.
Past upsets that we used to think were big like Ajax defeating Real Madrid 4-1 and Istanbul Basaksehir beating Manchester United 2-1 are nothing compared to this.
If Sheriff manages to advance to the knockout rounds it will be one of the greatest underdog stories not just in Champions League history, but sports history.
