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Borussia Dortmund take top spot, Schalke leave it late

December 11, 2018

Borussia Dortmund eased to a group-changing result in Monaco, while Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool endured in a thriller at Anfield. Schalke left it very, very late to seal victory in their final group-stage game.

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Champions League AS Monaco v Borussia Dortmund Raphael Guerreiro
Image: Reuters/E. Gillard

Monaco 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
(Guerreiro
 15', 88')

With a somewhat second-string team, Borussia Dortmund made life worse for Thierry Henry's Monaco thanks to a brace from Raphael Guerreiro.

Monaco made a shaky start, and eventually this had consequences. A cleared cross was reworked and Maximilian Philipp found space and squared it to Raphael Guerreiro who simply had to tap it in for the opener.

The hosts' lack of experience started to show, although there were calls for a penalty when a cross hit Abdou Diallo's arm. Dortmund were the more dangerous though, but their persistence didn't end in reward.

Kamil Glik headed over when it seemed easier to score as Monaco threatened to spoil the party. Then, after Philipp was denied by Diego Benaglio, Guerreiro scored almost an identical second. Christian Pulisic created the space, Paco Alcacer poked it back to Guerreiro and that was that. After Atletico failed to win in Belgium, the result put Dortmund in dreamland as they finished top of Group A.

Fußball Champions League FC Schalke 04 vs Lokomotive Moskau
Schalke huffed and puffed, but, right at the end, managed to blow the house downImage: picture-alliance/Sputnik/A. Denisov

Schalke 1-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
(Schöpf 90+1')

With second place secure and top spot out of reach, Schalke's final game in Group D was mainly a chance for Domenico Tedesco's side to return to form and boost their confidence.

The only thing that grew in the first half was Schalke's injury list. Hamza Mendyl was forced off early and replaced by Abdul Rahman Baba, but the next 45 minutes were disjointed. Academy product Benjamin Goller impressed but Schalke looked a lot like they were struggling to adjust to having Benedikt Höwedes playing against rather than for them in the Veltins-Arena. Lokomotiv were as passive as their hosts, but should have taken the lead before the break - Igor Denisov blazing over the bar despite being unmarked in the box.

Ralf Fährmann made a smart save soon after the restart as Schalke's slow, lethargic play continued. As the final quarter of an hour approached, Suat Serdar somehow failed to get enough on a low cross from Naldo despite having the goal at his mercy.

Teenage striker Ahmed Kutucu came on to become the first ever Schalke player born in 2000 to play for the club, but the game appeared to be heading towards an inevitable conclusion. However, in added time, Alessandro Schöpf slammed home a rebound after Guilherme spilled Serdar's shot. It was a result that flattered the hosts, but one that left them with an impressive 11 points from six group-stage games.

Champions League Results:

Group A:

Monaco 0-2 Borussia Dortmund

Brugge 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Group B:

Inter Milan 1-1 PSV

Barcelona 1-1 Tottenham

Group C:

Liverpool 1-0 Napoli

Red Star Belgrade 1-4 PSG

Group D:

Schalke 1-0 Lokomotiv Mosco

Galatasaray 2-3 Porto