U.S. International Christian Pulisic shook off an early knock and served a perfect cross on a corner kick to Malick Thiaw, providing AC Milan with an early lead over defending Champions League winner Real Madrid.
That play set the tone for the Italian squad to pull off a 3–1 upset at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Brazilian Vinícius Júnior tied the game 1–1 for Real Madrid (2–0–2) on a penalty in the 23rd minute. However, AC Milan (2–0–2) regained the lead on a couple of deft passes including a give-and-go by Pulisic that allowed Álvaro Morata to knock in a rebound in the 39th minute.
AC Milan increased the lead to 3–1 when Tijjani Reijnders scored on a left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area on a pass by Rafael Leão in the 73rd minute.
Real Madrid center-back Antonio Rüdiger appeared to have scored his third goal in four games in the 81st minute to pull his team to within a goal, but video assistant referee (VAR) negated the play because of offsides.
The Italians then held off a spirited rally by the Spaniards, who lost back-to-back games at home for the first time in nearly four years.
In another powerhouse matchup, Liverpool (4–0–0) continued its impressive run with a 4–0 victory over Bundesliga squad Bayer Leverkusen (2–1–1). After a slow start, the Reds took the lead on goals by Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo four minutes apart midway through the second half.
Díaz added his second goal in the 83rd minute to put the game away and his third goal in extra time.
Other Matches
Sporting Lisbon 4, Manchester City 1:Manchester City (2–1–1) suffered another disappointing loss after a setback in the English Premier League over the weekend. Phil Foden provided the lead against Sporting (3–1–0) in just the fourth minute on a left-footed shot from inside the penalty area. However, Viktor Gyökeres tied the game for Sporting in the 38th minute and Maximiliano Araújo provided the lead in the 46th minute. Gyökeres finished with a hat trick after converting a pair of penalty kicks in the 49th and 80th minutes to seal the upset win.
The Dutch squad rolled to a victory behind first-half goals by Ryan Flamingo in the 16th minute and American Malik Tillman in the 33rd minute. Tillman has six goals and three assists across all competitions this season. Johan Bakayoko scored in the 83rd minute, and five minutes later Girona (1–0–3) conceded an own goal. PSV Eindhoven (1–2–1) earned its first Champions League win.
The Croatian club had another impressive performance against the Slovakian side. After falling behind on a strike by David Strelec in just the fifth minute, Dinamo Zagreb (2–1–1) responded with consecutive goals by Dario Spikic, Petar Sucic, and Sandro Kulenovic, who scored in the 54th and 72nd minutes. Slovan Bratislava remained winless at 0–0–4.
Donyell Malen scored the winner in the 85th in a hard-fought match. The German side improved to 3–0–1 and Sturm Graz fell to 0–0–4.
The German side opened a 1–0 lead on a goal by Christoph Baumgartner in the 23rd minute. However, Nicolas Gerrit Kühn answered for Celtic (2–1–1) and scored twice to provide a 2–1 lead at the half. Reo Hatate provided the two-goal cushion on a close-range goal in the 72nd minute. Leipzig is winless at 0–0–4.
The French squad took the lead on a goal by Jonathan David in the 27th minute. Lille held the lead until midway through the second half when Dusan Vlahovic tied the game on a penalty kick. Both teams are now 2–1–1.
The French club earned the late victory on a goal by Thilo Kehrer in the 86th minute. Monaco is 3–1–0, while Bologna is 0–1–3.
