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Vukcevic strikes crucial away goal for Sporting

Bolton 1-1 Sporting

Sporting scored an ever important away goal against Bolton Wanderers to bring a 1-1 draw back to the Alvalade when the two sides meet again to wrap up their Round of 16 Uefa Cup tie in a week’s time.

Gavin McCann gave the English side the lead in the first half, but Bolton’s advantage was snuffed out by a second-half Simon Vukcevic’s strike, which puts the Portuguese outfit in pole position for the return leg.

Sporting started the match a little nervously and Rui Patricio was lucky not to have been shown a red card for playing the ball with his hands just outside the Sporting box in the 14th minute.

The Premiership club took advantage of their Portuguese counterparts’ anxiousness and drew first blood in the 25th minute when McCann was the benefactor of some slack defending by Sporting, making the visitors pay by slotting a loose ball in the box into the back of the net with ease.

Sporting responded and four minutes later Joao Moutinho’s arching effort just cleared the Bolton net. Sporting raised their game from this point forward, but Bolton were doing well to stand up to the Portuguese side.

Romagnoli shines

In the second half Sporting, who improved noticeably with the introduction of Romagnoli, were finding more space but could not deliver that decisive ball.

Bolton came back and hit the crossbar in the 53rd minute through a Helguson header, with Sporting’s rearguard again struggling to deal with crosses into the box.

In the 69th minute it was Sporting’s turn to crack the crossbar as Romagnoli cut towards the middle from the left-hand side and saw his shot clank off the woodwork.

In the 70th minute the Lions got a deserved away goal as Vukcevic played a give-and-go with Tiui and got everything behind the ball with his favourite left foot, leaving Al-Habsi with no chance whatsoever with a thunderous shot.

Mission accomplished for Sporting as the Lions will look to build on their impressive away performance when they return to their familiar confines in Lisbon.

Bolton Wanderers:
Al-Habsi, Hunt, A.O’Brien, Cahill, Gardner, Campo (Teymourian, 85), J.O’Brien (Guthrie, 67), McCann, Talor, Helguson (Giannakopolous, 55), Davies
Yellow Cards: J.O’Brien (21), McCann (55)

Sporting:
Rui Patricio, Abel (Romagnoli, 46), Polga, Tonel, Grimi, Miguel Veloso, Pereirinha, Joao Moutinho, Izmailov (Gladstone, 85), Vukcevic, Rodrigo Tiui (Adrien, 79)
Yellow Cards: Grimi (82)

Goals:
[1-0] McCann, 25
[1-1] Vukcevic, 70