All open for the final trip. Sporting went to London to equalize (1-1) and qualify for the eighth finals of the Champions League. In the final move of the game, the tracks scored, but the goal would be disallowed by VAR. And so, in a matter of seconds, the lions are no longer out and Amorim can smile again and think he will have another shot at winning a place among the 16 best teams in Europe. It’s next week, against Eintracht Frankfurt. If they win the Germans, in Alvalade, they will continue in the league and join Benfica and FC Porto who are already qualified.
Today in London, Rúben Amorim traded six pieces in the eleven (3x4x3), with Coates in the center of the defense and Paulinho up front with Trincao and Marcus Edwards. The same moves were made by Antonio Conte, betting on the same tactics (3x4x3), but with Matt Doherty, Romero, Ben Davies, Hojbjerg, Lucas Moura and Perisic.
The surprise effect of the victory in the second round, in Alvalade, was felt again yesterday, at the start of the race. In the 22nd minute a shot from Marcus Edwards defeated Lloris and woke the stands, who had fallen asleep from the slowness of the first 20 minutes of play. Then Manuel Ugarte discovered the Englishman, who scored with Paulinho, escaped the marks and shot low from outside the area to make the 1-0 – a goal very similar to the one the Frenchman allowed in the Euro 2016 final ( scored by Eder). A betrayal, they will say tracks who formed Marcus; revenge for the dismissal, Sporting fans say.
To win, the lions exposed the high pressure from the Londoners and even with Kane looking for a match behind them, it was not possible to create a distraction in the leonine defense line causing damage. It was more to Tottenham’s credit than the Lions’ credit, but the halftime advantage had a purely statistical explanation – more possession, more shots on target, more corners and a goal – and left Portugal’s virtual leaders of the group behind. .
The start of the second half brought a suffocating Tottenham. There were ten minutes of occupation of the Leonine midfield and half a dozen goals. In a sustained move, Eric Dier fired spectacularly on the half turn for an attentive save from Adán. Ben Davies, Romero and Hojbjerg tried to reload, but the “wall of lion’s feet” prevented the draw.
It was undeniable that there was danger around Sporting’s goal and only a great Adán avoided what seemed inevitable. Let Matt Doherty say it. Tottenham started playing the English style – shower of balls to the area – and Rúben took Paulinho away to get a grip with St. only. For a moment, Conte’s team forgot they weren’t the only ones on the field and saw the lions counterattack to annoy Lloris. Nazinho had two incredible chances to score leonine halftime’s goal, but if the French keeper masterfully got in the way in the first, the goal was wide open in the second…
Leonine resistance was broken after 80 minutes. Bentancur equalized in a controversial move (Sporting called for a free kick on Adán), validated by VAR. Eric Dier (Academy graduate Cristiano Ronaldo) failed to give Tottenham an advantage and Fatawu also failed to give the Lions the win.
The final minutes were hectic and controversial as Tottenham scored but the bid was to be canceled and Sporting left London alive.
Source: DN
