LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Sporting Lisbon got the victory it deserved this time, defeating Legia Warsaw 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
After a heartbreaking loss at Real Madrid in its Group F opener, when it was leading until the 89th minute, Sporting rebounded with another good performance and secured the three points at home against the group’s weakest team.
The result left Sporting one point behind Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, which drew 2-2 in Germany. Legia remains without any points after two games.
Sporting came close to opening the scoring when midfielder Gelson Martins hit the crossbar in front of the goal in the 18th. But Costa Rican playmaker Bryan Ruiz put the Portuguese side ahead from the far post in the 28th after Legia midfielder Miroslav Radovic failed to fully clear a cross into the area.
Dutch striker Bas Dost continued to impress at his new club by adding to the lead from close range in the 37th after a well-placed cross by captain Adrien Silva.
It was the fifth goal in as many games for Dost since his high-profile signing by Sporting in August. He had scored his first four goals in three Portuguese league appearances after arriving from German club Wolfsburg.
“We played very well,” Dost said. “In the second half we had some problems, because we are a little tired, but 2-0 is a good start. Our goal is to go to the next stage, even though we know we are in a very difficult group, but we’ve already showed what we are capable of.”
It was the seventh loss in 11 matches for Legia, which opened its Champions League campaign with a 6-0 thrashing by Dortmund. Legia’s 39-year-old coach, Jacek Magiera, replaced Besnik Hasi a week ago.
“Of course we aren’t glad about the result,” Radovic said. “I think we made some progress, but we do need a victory. If we manage to win once, it would help us a lot. It would give us an enormous amount of energy.”
Legia is in the group stage of the Champions League for the first time since the 1995-96 season. It next plays at Madrid, while Sporting hosts Dortmund.
“We can see that there is a difference between us and the best teams in Europe,” Legia captain Jakub Rzezniczak said. “Now we will face Real Madrid twice and we all know how difficult that’s going to be. That’s why we must progress a lot.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.