Underdogs strike! Sporting CP stunned the champions, overturning a disallowed goal to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory in Lisbon.
Soccer fans only had to wait 20 days this year for the most important club competition, the UEFA Champions League, to return. And the current champion, Paris Saint-Germain, sought to continue its good streak by visiting Sporting Clube de Portugal.
The Portuguese team was coming off a 3-1 road loss against Bayern Munich. That match left Sporting Lisbon in 14th place in the general standings with only 10 points, putting them in the playoff zone.
Meanwhile, the team managed by Spaniard Luis Enrique started the year with a painful setback. After defeating Olympique de Marseille on penalties to take the French Super Cup, three days later in the Paris derby for the French Cup, Paris FC managed to eliminate their neighbor with a 1-0 score.
The Parisian team’s last Champions League match was on the road, against the Spanish team at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. That match featured an impressive performance by goalkeeper Unai Simón, as he managed to stop all attacks against his goal. After a 0-0 draw, the Parisian team finished in 3rd position in the general standings with 13 points.
Sporting vs. PSG: Lineups
Paris Saint-Germain (1-4-3-3): Lucas Chevalier, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, Warren Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Senny Mayulu, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué.
Coach: Luis Enrique.
Sporting (1-4-2-3-1): Rui Silva, Fresneda, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Mangas, Hidemasa Morita, João Simões, Maximiliano Araújo, Francisco Trincão, Geny Catamo, Luis Javier Suárez.
Coach: Rui Borges.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England).
The match began at Jose Alvalade Stadium, and the Parisian team already showed the dominance that characterizes them in this new stage in their young life, while the Sporting Lisbon team was just waiting for a counterattack or a distraction from the champion.
That pressure yielded results in the 32nd minute with a goal by Frenchman Warren Zaire-Emery, but it was ultimately disallowed for a prior foul by the same Frenchman.
In the 42nd minute, they scored again, but that goal was also disallowed due to a handball by Dembélé.
There were few emotions during the first half, and we went to halftime with a 0-0 score.
The second half began, and everything indicated it would follow the same pattern, so much so that in the 57th minute, Dembélé scored again, but that goal was also disallowed, this time for offside.
While the Portuguese team had few scoring opportunities, the Parisian team continued with the pressure, but could not find the goal.
Until the 74th minute, the Portuguese team managed to score the first goal of the match via Luis Javier Suárez after a series of deflections.
But the Portuguese team's joy was short-lived, as in the 79th minute, the Georgian, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, managed to score a great goal that tied the match.
In the final minutes, the Sporting Lisbon team went all out on the attack, and after several deflections, Luis Suarez scored his second goal, which restored the lead for the Portuguese team.
That goal ended everything, a defeat for the Parisian team.
Sporting vs. PSG: Substitutions
Paris Saint-Germain:
- Senny Mayulu exited for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the 66th minute.
- Bradley Barcola exited for Gonçalo Ramos in the 71st minute.
- Fabián Ruiz exited for Illya Zabarnyi in the 81st minute.
Sporting:
- Ricardo Mangas exited for Georgios Vagiannidis in the 63rd minute.
- João Simões exited for Daniel Bragança in the 87th minute.
- Geny Catamo exited for Alisson Santos in the 87th minute.
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