REAL Madrid was held 2-2 by Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League match Wednesday.

    Twice Real led and twice it was pegged back as Dortmund claimed a deserved point from an enthralling contest.

    Raphel Varane restored his side’s advantage with 22 minutes remaining but Andre Schurrle’s fierce effort ensured Dortmund finished level.

    It was no more than Dortmund deserved after a thrilling encounter between two sides rarely shy in going forward.

    Dortmund had scored 20 goals in its previous four matches in all competitions going into this tie but it was Real that struck first.

    Zinedine Zidane’s side, unbeaten in its previous 19 games, moved ahead after just 17 minutes when Ronaldo grabbed his customary goal.

    Raphael Varane gave Real a 2-1 lead with his second half effort. The forward, who looked unhappy when he was substituted during his side’s 2-2 draw at Las Palmas on Saturday, responded by firing home with aplomb after finding space in the Dortmund defense.

    The home side, which had never lost to Real on German soil, responded with Aubameyang striking an effort against the crossbar with a fine effort.

    And with two minutes of the first half remaining, Dortmund drew level with Aubameyang bundling the ball home after a mistake by Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

    The second half brought yet more end-to-end football with both teams creating opportunities.

    But it was Real that moved ahead once more with Ronaldo once again at the heart of the move.

    It was his cross to the far post that picked out Karim Benzema and the striker’s header allowed Varane to poke the ball home from close-range.

    That goal appeared to have knocked Dortmund’s spirit but the home side refused to give up and Schurrle fired in an unstoppable effort with just three minutes remaining to claim a point.

    Andre Schurrle became the first German to score for four different clubs in the Champions League.” The players played a great match, the result is a difficult one to accept because we deserved a bit more, but it is not a bad result,” Zidane told reporters.

    “I think in the first half we suffered a bit because they pressed a lot and we knew it is a difficult place to come against a good team, but I am very proud of the game we played.”

    In the group’s other game, Sporting defeated Legia Warsaw 2-0.

    After a disastrous 4-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester United on Saturday, English champion Leicester City bounced back in style.

    Playing in its first ever home game in the Champions League, Leicester defeated Porto 1-0 courtesy of Islam Slimani’s first half goal.

    It means Claudio Ranieri’s side has now won both of its opening games and leads Group G with maximum points.

    (SD-Agencies)