Sporting win in Russian capital to revive Europa League qualification hopes
Not even snow and -7ºC temperatures could stop Sporting from breezing to a convincing 4-2 win in the Russian capital this Thursday evening, on Europa League matchday five. Not only keeping Alvalade's hopes alive of prolonging the season's international adventure, the win also sees Sporting break a 17-match streak without a European away victory and is also Sporting's first ever win on Russian soil.
Sporting made a fiery opening to the encounter, pressing high and breaking into the final third with relative ease. Fredy Montero was the first to try his luck with an effort in the 3rd minute after some good link-up play between Ricardo Esgaio and Gelson Martins. However, it was Lokomotiv who opening the scoring, when Maicon made the most of a hashed clearance by Marcelo Boeck to beat the on-rushing.
Despite the early blow, Sporting continued to dominate proceedings, while the hosts could do little but watch a young Alvalade side run riot. On eight minutes Matheus fired a rocket goalwards that looked likely to level the scoring, but Guilherme pulled off a good stop to keep Lokomotiv in the lead. Sporting's pressure finally paid off in the 20th minute, when Montero pounced on a cross from Esgaio which took a touch off Denisov to make it 1-1.
Lokomotiv really struggled when it came to creating chances of their own, thanks largely to Sporting's nulling of Maicon's usually tricky movement and Niasse's pace. While the Russians were limited to just a single shot in the entire first-half, Montero and Ruiz busied themselves with carving up space in the final third, while Gelson and Matheus ate up the yards with the blistering pace and Adrien and João Mário held down the passing in the middle of the park.
It was only a matter of time before Sporting took the lead, but what a goal it was! Ruiz exchanged passes with Montero inside the 18-yard box, before breaking loose and somehow squeezing in a technically brilliant chip from an extraordinary angle. Another change for the Porto Rican quickly followed, before Gelson netted Sporting's third with a goal outside-of-the-boot finish after breaking away down the wing.
The second-half brought the expected counter from Lokomotiv and by a whisker the Russians didn't grab a goal immediately, when Ricardo Esgaio put an outstretched cross onto his own crossbar. However, the chance was one of only a handful for the hosts, as Sporting smartly went about wrestling back control of the action. Matheus made it four on the hour-mark, after racing through the middle and showing composure beyond his years with a shot through the keeper's legs.
Matheus put another chance over the bar four minutes later and Ruiz crashed a hammer of an effort off the woodwork in the 69th minute, before Lokomotiv pulled back a consolation goal four minutes from time through some good individual skill by Miranchuk.
The result keeps Sporting's hopes of qualification from Group H alive, with a win over Besiktas needed on the 10th of December.
