Sheriff Tiraspol manager fires back at Dirk Kuyt after harsh comment about his clubFC Sheriff Tiraspol cemented their status as Champions League giant-killers on Tuesday night after defeating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.The Moldovan champions sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory over their revered opponents thanks to goals from Jasurbek Yakhshiboev and Sebastien Thill.Thill’s goal to win the game on the stroke of full-time was a beauty. The ball fell kindly to the midfielder, who rifled the ball past Thibaut Courtois with a stunning half-volley from the edge of the box.This was the biggest moment in the club’s 24-year history by a distance. The result has shocked the football world.p1fgomtu451vt010o61orf1b51c9qp.jpgSheriff are competing in the Champions League for the first time but have already amassed six points after winning their opening two fixtures against Shakhtar Donetsk and now Real Madrid.

What did Dirk Kuyt say about Sheriff Tiraspol?

One person who must be feeling more than a little sheepish right now is the former Liverpool and Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt.

The 41-year-old, who retired in 2018, questioned whether Sheriff deserved to be competing in the Champions League after the Moldovan side qualified for the group stages.

Speaking to Dutch channel RTL 7, per The Daily Record, Kuyt said: "I know that the Champions League is a competition for champions, but teams like Sheriff Tiraspol have nothing to do with the Champions League."

Kuyt clearly wasn’t expecting much from Sheriff, who now stand an excellent chance of reaching this season’s Champions League knockout stages.

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Yuriy Vernydub hits back at Dirk Kuyt

Yuriy Vernydub, the man who masterminded Sheriff’s victory at the Bernabeu, took the opportunity to fire back at Kuyt in his post-match press conference after shocking the 13-time European champions.

“It was a great player, Dirk Kuyt, who said there is no place in the Champions League for Sheriff,” Vernydub told reporters, per The Guardian.

“So I’m very happy to destroy his perfect world.

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“At the moment, I am very happy after this game against such a big club like Real Madrid. This is so emotional.

“I’m very appreciate of my boys for this great job. We are a real team.

“Some big name players said before there’s no place in the Champions League for a team like Sheriff, but it’s our place and we proved it.”

Watch the clip from Vernydub's press conference here:

Very well said, Yuriy.

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