Málaga soar as Madrid and Arsenal slip up
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
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German sides enjoyed a stellar night as Borussia Dortmund defeated Real Madrid CF and FC Schalke 04 won at Arsenal FC, while Málaga CF maintained their perfect record.
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Real Madrid CF and Arsenal FC surrended their perfect starts while Málaga CF maintained theirs as the UEFA Champions League group stage reached the halfway point on Wednesday.
After the draw in August, Group D was viewed as potentially this season's most explosive section, and it is living up to expectations after the first three matchdays.
Madrid's 100% record was ended by an inspired Borussia Dortmund team, who defeated the Spanish champions 2-1, that despite another goal for competition top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo. AFC Ajax went into tonight with no points but put that right against Manchester City FC as they came from behind to win 3-1 in Amsterdam. Jürgen Klopp's men assume top spot in the pool while Ajax move off the bottom at City's expense, with Madrid now second.
José Mourinho's charges may have failed to make it three from three, yet another Liga side did achieve that feat as Málaga continued their sensational first group stage campaign with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan – Joaquín getting the winner after earlier missing a penalty. Also in Group C, FC Zenit St Petersburg overcame RSC Anderlecht for their first success this term.
Arsenal completed a disappointing night for English clubs as an entertaining FC Schalke 04 team strode to a 2-0 win in north London. It was the Gunners' first UEFA Champions League loss in 17 home games. In the same group, Olympiacos FC recovered from one down to beat Montpellier Hérault SC with a last-gasp goal.
FC Porto are in charge of Group A after their third successive triumph in the section, while Paris Saint-Germain FC got back on track following their matchday two loss at the Estádio do Dragão, the French outfit prevailing 2-0 over GNK Dinamo Zagreb.
Group A
FC Porto 3-2 FC Dynamo Kyiv
GNK Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain FC
Group B
Arsenal FC 0-2 FC Schalke 04
Montpellier Hérault SC 1-2 Olympiacos FC
Group C
FC Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 RSC Anderlecht
Málaga CF 1-0 AC Milan
Group D
AFC Ajax 3-1 Manchester City FC
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid CF
