Football: Real Madrid snatch draw at Gladbach with late Casemiro goal

Real Madrid's Brazilian midfielder Casemiro (centre) in action. PHOTO: AFP

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany (REUTERS) - Real Madrid scored two goals in the final minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach in their Champions League Group B match on Tuesday (Oct 27) and snap a three-game losing run in the competition.

Marcus Thuram fired in for the lead with the hosts' first chance of the game in the 33rd minute and tapped in on the rebound in the 58th just as Real were pushing for an equaliser.

But Karim Benzema cut the deficit in the 87th minute and Casemiro got the equaliser in stoppage time.

The 13-time European champions, who had lost their previous three games following last season's two defeats to Manchester City in the knockout stage and their shock 3-2 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk last week, earned their first point in the competition.

Gladbach are in second place on two points, with Shakhtar top on four after a 0-0 draw with Inter Milan.

Real coach Zinedine Zidane had been hoping to carry his side's momentum from their 3-1 weekend win over Barcelona in La Liga into the game.

Yet despite their confidence in possession, chances were few and far between with Gladbach's Matthias Ginter completely shutting out Benzema for most of the game.

The Foals struck on the break with Alassane Plea pouncing on a Toni Kroos mistake to set up Thuram for his first goal in the competition.

Real initially had more spark after the break and hit the woodwork when Asensio's 46th-minute shot was headed on to the crossbar.

Forward Vinicius should have scored two minutes later when he was left completely unmarked in the box but his effort sailed wide.

Gladbach then struck against the run of play, with 23-year-old France youth international Thuram tapping in on the rebound after keeper Thibaut Courtois had pushed out a shot from Plea.

But with the Germans thinking the game was already won, Real pulled a goal back when Casemiro headed on for Benzema to score.

Brazilian Casemiro then dashed Gladbach's hopes of a memorable win, driving the ball into the roof of the net in stoppage time.

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