THE Early this Tuesday afternoon, Sporting took another step towards qualifying for the next stage of the UEFA Youth League, leaving the Kingsmeadow complex (‘home loaned’ by Chelsea), in the English capital of London, with a categorical 1-3 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Ukrainian team was, nevertheless, the one that entered the game best, adding a series of consecutive opportunities that it proved unable to achieve, sometimes due to the ‘inspiration’ of the opposing goalkeeper, the North American William Lodmell, sometimes due to the ‘uninspiration’ of players like Artem Zubriy or Artem Derykon.
After half an hour, the Portuguese team finally managed to ‘break free’. First, Chris Grombahi shot just wide of the post, then Leonardo Varela shot into the hands of Vladyslav Chympoiesh, but, on the third, it was true, with Chris Grombahi appearing, once again, on the scene, moving from the right to the center to score a beautiful goal.
The hardest part was done, but the lions refused to be satisfied, and returned from the locker room committed to ‘killing’ the game as quickly as possible. In such a way that, just 14 minutes later, they even managed to extend the advantage, thanks to a well-aimed header from Gabriel Silva, after a cross from André Machado.
The Albufeira-born striker would do his thing again, in the 64th minute, when he first shot at the opponent’s goal post, and then, on the rebound, sent it into the back of the net, thus sealing the doubts about who would be the winner of the match in what is the biggest club competition in European football at under-19 level.
Sporting and Shakhtar Donetsk, remember, will meet again, this Tuesday, at 5:45 pm (Mainland Portugal time), this time, at Stamford Bridge, this time, in the seniors, in the long-awaited duel on the fourth round of the Champions League league stage, which will be refereed by the Slovakian Ivan Kruzliak.
The results (and accounts) of the UEFA Youth League
Sporting now has seven points won out of a possible 12, as a result of two victories (not only over Shakhtar Donetsk, but also over LASK Linz, 2-1), a draw (with Galatasaray, in the opening round, 2-2) and a defeat (against Lens, 3-2).
This record allows them to rise, provisionally, to fifth place in the general classification, equal with Paris Saint-Germain (which lost to Villarreal, 3-0), Lille (which was defeated by Bodo/Glimt, 2-1), Atlético de Madrid and Club Brugge (who will still face, respectively, Bayern Munich and PSV).
In a much more delicate situation, we find Shakhtar Donetsk, which is, along with Fenerbahçe (who will host Liverpool) and Sabah (who will visit Viking), the only team without any points collected, so far, which means that they live at the bottom of the table, with serious risks of being eliminated.
Ahead, the Lions also have meetings with Manchester United (on November 25th, at the Aurélio Pereira Stadium, in Alcochete) and AS Roma (on December 8th, at the Stadio Tre Fontane, in the Italian capital).
