Sporting scrape into knockout stage
Sporting 1 - 1 Bologna
Sporting CP scraped through to the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-1 draw at home against Bologna, who had already been eliminated.
The Portuguese league leaders had endured a tough run in Europe, losing three consecutive matches after winning three of their first four. All three defeats came following the departure of manager Rúben Amorim to Manchester United.
Bologna nearly took an early lead when Sam Beukema’s header struck the bar from a corner. However, they didn’t have to wait long, as Tommaso Pobega turned in Beukema’s flicked header to put the Italian side in front.
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Sporting pressed for an equaliser in the second half and eventually found one when Conrad Harder slotted home João Simões’ cut-back from close range.
With results elsewhere going in their favour, a draw was enough to see Sporting through to the play-off round, where they will face Borussia Dortmund, after finishing 23rd overall. They ended level on 11 points with Club Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb but advanced thanks to a superior goal difference.
Bologna, meanwhile, had already been knocked out before kick-off and finished the league phase in 28th place with six points.
Sporting still struggling to find their post-Rúben Amorim identity.
This was another strange game for Sporting. The departure of a certain Amorim a few months ago has clearly had a huge negative impact on the club. Against Bologna, they looked like a team devoid of creativity at times—a world away from the side that thrashed Manchester City 4-1 and had Manchester United fans buzzing with excitement.
