Sporting CP suffered its first defeat of the season at home on Wednesday, falling 3-2 to Austria’s LASK Linz in the UEFA Champions League at Estádio José Alvalade. The loss, Sporting’s first in three group-stage matches, left the Portuguese side with six points in the competition.
Luis Suárez opened the scoring in the fifth minute from a penalty, but LASK Linz equalized through Christoph Lang in the 15th minute. Saša Kalajdžić and Krystof Danek added goals in the 63rd and 68th minutes, respectively, to secure the Austrian club’s first-ever Champions League victory. Suárez pulled one back in the 89th minute, but it was too late to salvage a result .
Sporting manager Rui Borges attributed the defeat to a lack of inspiration and individual errors, citing “simple ball losses” and poor positioning after the opening goal. He described the team’s performance as disjointed, with a late reaction that briefly gave Sporting hope but ultimately failed to overcome LASK’s resilience .
LASK Linz dominated much of the second half, even after goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth was forced off injured in the 52nd minute. The visitors capitalized on counterattacks, with Kalajdžić and Danek sealing the win before Suárez’s late strike. The result mirrored LASK’s 4-1 victory over Sporting in the 2020 Europa League qualifiers, marking another home defeat for the Portuguese side against the Austrian club .
Danek’s goal, his first in the Champions League, proved decisive, sparking celebrations among LASK supporters. The win gave LASK its first points in its debut Champions League campaign, with the team set to host Slovan Bratislava on Nov. 3 .
