Battaglia’s cross is blocked for a corner but the set-piece is headed over the bar from a near-post position. Time is running out for Sporting and that may well be their last chance.
Jan Oblak is shown an inevitable yellow card for time-wasting.
90' +1
R. Battaglia gets yellow.
Rodrigo Battaglia is shown a yellow card after committing a cynical foul in midfield while attempting to win possession.
Petrovic hits a shot from a long way out. The effort was decent but the strike goes over the top of the crossbar, allowing Oblak to drain a few precious seconds off the clock.
90'
The referee indicates that there will be three minutes of additional time at the end of the 90.
88'
With two minutes left in regulation time, Sporting are throwing everyone forward - searching for the goal that will send this tie into extra time. The Atleti defence is holding strongly however, with every aerial duel won by a visiting player.
82'
IN ALL ALONE, GRIEZMANN IS DENIED! Antoine Griezmann gets a through ball played to him which allows him to split the defenders and face Rui Patricio one on one, as the offside flag stays down. After feinting one way, Griezmann sends his shot down the middle but Patricio is equal to the effort and uses his body to make the stop and keep Sporting in the tie.
80'
S. Doumbia enters the game and replaces S. Ristovski.
Sporting make their third substitution, as striker Seydou Doumbia enters the field of play, replacing Stefan Ristovski.
78'
Gabi and Griezmann stand over the free-kick, but it’s the Frenchman who goes for goal. The striker misses the target but not by much. With just over ten minutes remaining, Sporting lead the match but Atleti are still in control of the tie.
76'
Bruno Fernandes gets yellow.
Griezmann is brought down just outside the penalty area which will earn Bruno Fernandes a yellow card - meaning that he will miss the semi-final first leg should Sporting advance.
73'
Gabi gives possession away near his penalty area but Montero is crowded out immediately by four Atleti players who win back possession and immediately send the ball forward looking for Torres.The long pass is slightly inaccurate, but Sporting clear the danger and give the away side a throw.
70'
Rúben Ribeiro enters the game and replaces B. Ruiz.
Fernando Torres gets yellow.
Fernando Torres is shown a yellow card 10 minutes after coming on after catching the calf of Acuna with his studs as the Sporting player was racing out of his defensive area with the ball.
Sporting make a substitution in midfield as Bryan Ruiz departs in favour of Ruben Ribeiro.
Minute
Description
66'
F. Montero gets yellow.
Fredy Montero is shown a yellow card after catching the leg of Diego Godin who, at the time, was attempting to clear the ball with his right boot.
65'
The ball fell to Montero who finds himself alone in the penalty area. The striker opts for accuracy rather than power, but Oblak reads his mind perfectly and gets a jump on the shot. The save is made on the grass comfortably despite the slippery nature of the pitch.
63'
Griezmann plays a perfect pass through to Torres who is free on goal, but at the last minute Coates puts in a challenge which blocks the trajectory of the Spanish striker’s shot and puts it out for a corner. From the ensuing set-piece, Torres again is involved as he rises highest at the near post, but his header goes over.
60'
Á. Correa enters the game and replaces Vitolo.
Diego Simeone will use his final substitution of the match at the 60th minute, with Angel Correa entering the game in place of Vitolo.
57'
Sporting win another corner after a lovely bit of interchange play gets Fredy Montero into the penalty area. His centring pass for Bruno Fernandes is deflected out for a corner however as Godin’s leg does just enough. From the corner, the initial cross is deflected which leads to an audacious bicycle kick from Coates which falls nicely for Oblak to catch.
55'
Fernandes gets the ball just outside the penalty area and fires almost immediately, but the effort was miscued. It was either a shot that failed to reach the net or a cross that didn’t find a teammate - either way it will be Oblak’s for a goal-kick.
52'
Fernando Torres enters the game and replaces Diego Costa.
The substitution is made immediately as Fernando Torres enters the pitch, replacing Diego Costa in a like for like switch.
51'
Diego Costa is flagged for offside and immediately signals to the bench for a substitution. Play goes out for a throw-in and Costa is down on the pitch. There has been no indication as to where the injury is, but Fernando Torres is already up and getting himself ready.
49'
Beautiful combination play leads to Juanfran getting free on the right, but his centring pass to Vitolo is wayward and intercepted just in front of the 18-yard box.
46'
Š. Vrsaljko enters the game and replaces L. Hernández.
Diego Simeone chooses to make a substitution at half-time, with Lucas Hernandez being replaced by Sime Vrsaljko.
The referee blows his whistle and gets the second half started!
45' +1
Ruiz catches the ball perfectly and sends a long-range strike towards Oblak’s net. The goalkeeper is forced into tipping the effort over the bar. From the corner, Gelson Martins is unmarked in the penalty area but his diving header from the cross is sent painfully wide of the post.
44'
Bruno Fernandes sends a high and hopeful ball into the penalty area for Montero, but Godin shields the player and Oblak calmly collects.
41'
Atleti are controlling possession, knocking the ball about in midfield and trying to slow down the tempo. Having already conceded, Atletico Madrid will be looking to head into half-time in damage limitation mode, as a second goal before the interval would put the away side in a very precarious position.
35'
Acuna wins a corner after sending his cross against the back of Juanfran. Acuna himself takes the set-piece to the near post but the defence stays organised and the ball ends up in the hands of Oblak.
32'
With Hernandez off the pitch receiving treatment to what appears to be his cheek-bone, Koke takes the free-kick short to Gabi who floats the ball into the penalty area. The ball slips on the wet surface however and picks up pace, rolling ahead of Godin who is unable to catch up to it, and out for a goal-kick.
29'
S. Ristovski gets yellow.
The referee shows Stefan Ristovski a yellow card after a dangerous challenge on Lucas Hernandez which has left the Atleti defender on the floor in considerable discomfort.
28'
F. Montero has scored a goal for Sporting Lisbon!
SPORTING HAVE THEIR BREAKTHROUGH! The cross comes in from the right-hand side and Oblak is only able to swing a hand to it as it passes over his head. Fredy Montero is left unmarked at the back post and the Colombian easily heads the ball over the goalkeeper who was sent to the floor by his earlier attempted save. 1-0 for Sporting!
26'
R. Petrović enters the game and replaces J. Mathieu.
Play is stopped as Mathieu goes down with an apparent leg injury, and after receiving some treatment the centre-back limps off the pitch gingerly. It looks as though the Frenchman will be unable to continue, and Jeremy Mathieu is replaced by Radosav Petrovic.
23'
Acuna puts in a cross just as the ball is about to go out for a goal-kick and the last-second effort is perfectly directed towards Bruno Fernandes who scuffs his header wide of the post.
21'
Ruiz losses possession in midfield after trying to trick past three Atletico markers. The counter-attack is immediately on for the away side but Diego Costa is unable to check his run and gets called for straying just offside as the pass from midfield is played to his feet.
18'
Sporting win a corner but make nothing of the opportunity as Montero is called for excessive physical force while attempting to free himself of his marker as the ball enters the area.
15'
Coates gets a good header on an Atletico corner to clear the danger but Godin looks a bit worse for wear after taking a knock to the face by Bryan Ruiz who was covering him. The referee sees nothing wrong with the defensive challenge, however, and instead awards a free-kick to Sporting for an infraction after the ball clears the area.
12'
MAGNIFICENT FROM OBLAK! The corner is taken right to the penalty spot where Coates was waiting and the defender puts his effort right into the corner of the goal - but Oblak got fingertips to it after fully extending and making a heroic dive. It remains 0-0 in Lisbon, but only thanks to the goalkeeper.
11'
The free-kick is taken short before working an angle to put a pass into the box. Oblak comes out of his goal confidently and punches away the danger. Once again however, Sporting capitalise on the loose ball and win themselves a corner.
9'
Bruno Fernandes attempts to swing in a cross from the left but the midfielder does not get the required height on the ball and it’s immediately repelled by the head of Diego Godin. After winning the ball back however, Sporting win a free-kick just outside the penalty area in a dangerous position for a cross.
6'
The match has taken an understandably slow start, with Atleti willing to suck the life out of the tempo. Simeone will certainly see two goals as more than enough of a lead to go through to the semi-finals with, so it will be a case today of holding what they have.
3'
Just over the bar! The cross comes in perfectly to Acuna but he sends his headed effort just above Oblak's net. Early warning signs for Atletico Madrid in defence.
1'
Sporting get the match underway!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of the Europa League quarter-final clash between Sporting CP and Atletico Madrid from the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon.
Well behind Benfica and Porto in the Primeira Liga, this competition represents Sporting’s best chance at silverware in 2018. With three wins in their last five matches, the home side enter their second-leg fixture against Atletico Madrid in good form.
Down by two on aggregate and without a goal from last week’s match at the Wanda Metropolitano, it will take a herculean effort to penetrate this Atleti defence. If Roma’s escapades in the Champions League this week has taught us anything however, it’s that no tie is out of reach.
Atletico Madrid have looked in fine form recently, winning three of their last five as well - a run which includes last weekend’s 1-1 draw against inter-city rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. With seven matches left in La Liga, Diego Simeone’s squad sit second, three points ahead of Valencia in third.
Sporting progressed to this stage of Europe’s second competition after beating Viktoria Plzen narrowly after extra time in the round of 16. Since then, turmoil within the club has reached new levels, with president Bruno de Carvalho suspending a number of players ahead of last weekend’s fixture against Pacos de Ferreira. It is unclear how many of those first-team regulars will be reinstated, but it is reported that Bas Dost will not be featuring tonight despite scoring in his last match.
One goal conceded in their last three matches is typical for this incarnation of Atletico Madrid who have allowed just two goals in five Europa League matches in 2018. In both those instances, the matches ended in convincing Atleti wins: a 4-1 against Kobenhavn in Denmark and a 5-1 against Lokomotiv in Russia.
Sporting Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Rui Patricio; Andre Pinto, Sebastian Coates, Jeremy Mathieu, Stefan Ristovski; Bruno Fernandes, Rodrigo Battaglia; Gelson Martins, Bryan Ruiz, Marcos Acuna; Fredy Montero.
The team news has just been confirmed! Let’s begin with the home side.
Atletico Madrid substitutes: Axel Werner, Sime Vrsaljko, Jose Maria Gimenez, Thomas Partey, Fernando Torres, Angel Correa, Kevin Gameiro.
Atletico Madrid Starting XI (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin, Stefan Savic, Juanfran; Koke, Gabi, Saul, Vitolo; Antoine Griezmann, Diego Costa
Jorge Jesus lines up in a 4-2-3-1 and makes four alterations from the side that lost the first leg. An injury to Cristiano Piccini means that Andre Pinto will have to play at right back, while left-back Fabio Coentrao’s loan from Real Madrid was prematurely terminated, meaning Stefan Ristovski will play in that position. In midfield, an injury to William Carvalho gives a chance to Rodrigo Battaglia to play beside Bruno Fernandes and in attack, Fredy Montero replaces Bas Dost who is not even on the bench tonight.
Diego Simeone keeps his traditional 4-4-2 formation and makes a single change from the side who beat Sporting 2-0 one week ago. On the right wing, Angel Correa is dropped with Vitolo taking his place. Unavailable for today’s match are Filipe Luis who is still recovering from a broken leg, although Jose Maria Gimenez has been deemed fit enough for the bench despite his ankle injury.
HALF-TIME: Sporting CP 1 - 0 Atletico Madrid.
Fredy Montero’s first-half goal is the difference at the interval after his back-post header was sent over the body of a diving Jan Oblak. It is a deserved lead as Sporting have certainly been the more adventurous and dangerous side in attack.
It has been a first half that should please Sporting manager Jorge Jesus. His side have come out in the first half attacking with pace and purpose - putting the Atleti defence under all kinds of pressure. Gelson Martins has been a bright spark on the wing, with his trickery winning the home side a number of set-pieces. Bruno Fernandes has also been central to every Sporting attack, getting into great positions and directing play with his wide range of passing.
Atleti still have the lead in this tie, but Simeone would have imagined it going a lot smoother. There has been a lack of link-up play between Griezmann and Costa, with the two strikers failing to make a single pass to each other in the first half. The quality is apparent for the away side who have set up in a very low block, but it looks as though an away goal will be necessary. Had it not been for incredible goal-keeping from Jan Oblak, Atleti’s position in the fixture could have been worse.
A win at home against Atletico Madrid is a great result, but unfortunately, Sporting left themselves with too much to do after a 2-0 first leg. Jorge Jesus’s side came out ready to attack, knowing that a minimum of two goals would be required and they exemplified that urgency very well. Bruno Fernandes and Gelson Martins were lively all match, but it was Acuna who put the Lisbon-based side ahead. It could have been more, but for a brilliant individual performance by Jan Oblak.
Next up for Sporting is a trip to 11th place Belenenses in the Primeira Liga, while Atletico Madrid return home to play hosts to Levante.
Atletico Madrid did not look at their attacking best, but with such a resolute defence, they did not have to be. It is a narrow victory, but one that guarantees safe passage to the Europa League semi-finals. The late-game was made much nervier than it should have been, as Antoine Griezmann twice failed to score on opportunities when he was in all alone against the goalkeeper. It has not been 90 minutes of enthralling football from Atleti, but they succeed once again through defensive endeavour.
That concludes our coverage of the match between Sporting CP and Atletico Madrid. We hope you enjoyed the contest and we look forward to seeing you all again soon!
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