LEIPZIG, Germany: Leipzig boosted their chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League by handing titleholder Real Madrid their first loss of the season on Tuesday.
The German club won 3-2 and now only need to draw their last group match at Shakhtar Donetsk — which drew 1-1 at Celtic on Tuesday — to advance to the last 16.
Leipzig reached nine points in Group F, one behind Madrid, who had already secured their spot in the round of 16. Leipzig are three points ahead of Shakhtar, while Celtic are last with two points.
Madrid had been unbeaten in 16 matches in all competitions this season, with 14 wins and two draws. The European champion played without several regular starters, including Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.