Sporting CP made it two wins from two at home in the Champions League after battling back to defeat Marseille 2–1 in a thrilling, incident-filled encounter at the Estádio José Alvalade on Wednesday night.
The visitors, arriving in Lisbon full of confidence following a five-match winning streak that included a victory over Paris Saint-Germain, drew first blood early on thanks to a moment of brilliance from Igor Paixão.
The Brazilian winger, who had threatened with two earlier efforts, finally made his mark in the 14th minute.
Picking up the ball in the inside-left channel, he glided past Fresneda and unleashed a stunning curler into the far corner beyond Antonio Adán’s reach.
Sporting struggled to create clear chances in response, with Luis Suárez’s low drive straight at Gerónimo Rulli their only real opportunity of the half.
But the tide turned dramatically just before the break when Marseille’s Emerson Palmieri received a second yellow card for simulation.
The referee initially awarded a penalty before VAR overturned the decision, sending off the Brazilian instead and leaving the French side down to ten men.
With the numerical advantage, Sporting came alive after the restart. The hosts pressed relentlessly, testing Rulli on several occasions.
Their breakthrough came in the 68th minute when substitute Geny Catamo pounced on a loose ball in the area and calmly slotted home.
Though the assistant’s flag went up for offside, a lengthy VAR review confirmed the goal, igniting wild celebrations around the stadium.
Manager Rui Borges sensed an opportunity and made another bold move, introducing Alisson Santos for Fresneda and it paid off spectacularly.
The energetic winger cut inside from the right and fired towards goal; his effort deflected off Benjamin Pavard’s arm, looped over Rulli, and dropped into the net to complete the comeback.
There was late drama when Maxi Araújo was shown a red card for a scuffle with Pavard, but once again VAR intervened to downgrade it to a yellow.
Sporting held firm through the tense closing moments to claim a vital three points that keep their qualification hopes alive.
It was a night to remember for the Lisbon fans and a testament to Rui Borges’ inspired substitutions that turned the match on its head.
