Soccer Football - Champions League - Club Brugge v Sporting CP - Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium - December 10, 2024 Club Brugge's Brandon Mechele in action with Sporting CP's Francisco Trincao REUTERS/Johanna Geron
BRUGES, Belgium (Reuters) - Club Brugge bounced back from conceding after three minutes to beat Sporting 2-1 on Tuesday in a major boost to their hopes of advancing to the next stage of the Champions League.
Geny Catamo gave the Portuguese champions the early lead with an easy tap-in from a rebound after Maximiliano Araujo’s powerful shot had struck the post but Brugge fought back to level in the 24th minute and got the winner six minutes from time with a strong close-in finish from substitute Casper Nielsen.
The home side pulled level when Christos Tzolis’s strike took a wicked deflection off Eduardo Quaresma, with the goal later adjudged by UEFA to be an own goal.
Sporting were awarded a penalty two minutes later, after Araujo was fouled by Andreas Skov Olsen. But after a check, the VAR officials determined the foul had occurred outside the area and English referee Anthony Taylor’s decision was changed to a free kick which Viktor Gyokeres put over the crossbar.
Nielsen had barely come on when he was set up by Gustaf Nilsson’s pass and expertly hammered home the winner in the 84th minute.
The result catapulted Club Brugge from 23rd to 14th place in the standings, with 10 points from six games, in a match they needed to win as their last group matches next month are at home to Juventus and then away to Manchester City.
Sporting dropped to 12th spot with matches to come away to Leipzig and home against Bologna.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare Fallon)
