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Sheriff Tiraspol's win over Real Madrid can be celebrated and lamented at the same time

Sometimes, two seemingly conflicting ideas can exist at once. Like how to feel about Sheriff Tiraspol, and whether it's a "fairy tale" or a sad reflection of what it takes for a smaller, poorer nation to send a team to the Champions League.

Let's start with the good bit to cheer us up, shall we? This is a club that beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night to move to the top of their Champions League group, with six points out of six. Before beating the Spanish giants -- who have won more European Cups than anyone else, and who won four Champions League crowns in the last eight seasons -- in the group stage opener, they defeated Shakhtar Donetsk, who have qualified for the Champions League for 10 straight years.