Sheriff Tiraspol performed a crazy stunt on Tuesday evening by winning 1-2 against Real Madrid. Yuriy Vernydub seized the victory at the Santiago Bernabéu to prove Dirk Kuyt wrong. Kuyt said a few weeks ago in the studio of RTL7 that clubs like Sheriff have no business in the Champions League.
Kuyt was in the studio of . with Ron Vlaar on August 17th RTL7, where the first leg in the last qualifying round of the Champions League between Sheriff and Dinamo Zagreb was discussed. The champion of Moldova won that game in his own stadium 3-0 and was therefore on course to reach the main tournament of the Champions League, which was achieved by drawing 0-0 in Croatia. “I know that the Champions League is a tournament for champions. But clubs like Sheriff have no business in the Champions League,” Kuyt said.
Kuyt’s statement has not gone unnoticed by Sheriff. “The great player Dirk Kuyt has said that there is no place for Sheriff in the Champions League,” Vernydub said at the press conference after the game with Real Madrid. “I like to make his world fall to pieces. We work from match to match, step by step. We still have four games to go, that’s a long way to go. We will see where we are after the last game on December 7 against Shakhtar Donetsk.”
“We know we have to play defensively, but we countered in a smart way. It’s a fairy tale that we win here. I am very proud of my boys,” said the Ukrainian trainer of Sheriff, who is leading Group D after victories over Shakhtar Donetsk (2-0) and Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti, trainer of the Royal, argues that the defeat stemmed from ‘details’.
“We are more disappointed than concerned,” he wrote marca up from the mouth of Ancelotti. “We played with intensity and commitment, but we lost because of small details. The team played well, but lacked precision in front of goal. It is hard to explain. Sheriff defended well and knew how to be decisive in the details.”