LASK Stun Sporting 3-2 in Lisbon for First Champions League Win in Club History
LASK stunned Sporting CP 3-2 at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon on Wednesday, October 21, to claim the first Champions League victory in the Austrian club's history. The win ended Sporting's perfect start to the league phase, and it was LASK's first points of the campaign after defeats to AEK Athens and Liverpool.
Sporting began strongly and took the lead in the fifth minute. A flurry of Sporting players in the box led to a foul by Robert Ljubičić, and after a short VAR check, the referee awarded a penalty. Luis Suárez converted it. LASK did not panic. In the 15th minute, Ljubičić found Kasper Jørgensen, who played the ball into the middle for Christoph Lang. He lost no time in finishing low against three defenders to make it 1-1. Sporting's penalty remained their only shot on target for a long time.
The match was level at half-time. LASK's goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth suffered an injury scare during the game, but LASK soon showed their threat on the break. In the 63rd minute, Ljubičić played a clever pass to Saša Kalajdžić, who finished across the face of goal to put the visitors ahead for the first time.
LASK doubled their lead five minutes later. In the 68th minute, Samuel Adeniran played the ball to Krystof Daněk, who dribbled into the area and drilled in a shot off the near post, with a lucky deflection on the way, to make it 3-1.
Sporting pushed hard for a way back, bringing pace from the bench, and Suárez scored his second of the night in the 89th minute. There were seven minutes of added time, but Sporting could not find another goal, and LASK held on for the win.
Sporting dominated the match statistically. They had 62% of possession, completed 574 passes to LASK's 355, and had an expected goals total of 3.16 against 1.12. But LASK were clinical on the counter-attack. Sporting had won their first two matches in the league phase, against Galatasaray and Lens, before this first defeat.