LASK come from behind to beat Sporting CP 3-2 in Lisbon in Champions League

Match result

LASK of Austria beat Sporting CP 3-2 away in Lisbon on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, in the third round of matches in the Champions League league phase, according to match reports from RTP, La Nacion and Africa Soccer. The game was played at Estadio Jose Alvalade, Sporting's home ground. Match listings show a kickoff of 8pm British time. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Sporting took the lead in the fifth minute when Luis Suarez scored a penalty, awarded after a foul in the LASK area and confirmed by VAR, RTP reported. LASK equalised through Christoph Lang in the 15th minute and the sides went in level at 1-1, Africa Soccer reported. ^{[1] [3]}

The decisive spell came after the break. Sasa Kalajdzic put LASK ahead in the 63rd minute and Krystof Danek added a third in the 68th, according to Africa Soccer and the live match page of Vavel. RTP described both goals as coming from quick counter-attacks. Suarez scored his second in the 89th minute, but Sporting found no equaliser. Reports differ on how that goal came: Africa Soccer called it a penalty, while RTP said it followed a save the LASK goalkeeper failed to hold. ^{[1] [3] [5]}

Standings impact

RTP reported that the defeat dropped Sporting to 12th place with six points. Before the match, it said, the Portuguese club had been on course for a top-eight finish, which carries direct qualification for the round of 16. LASK, who had no points before this game, moved up to 24th with three points, the lowest position that earns a play-off place, RTP said. Table positions change with each round of fixtures and this standing is as reported on the night of the match. ^[1]

In the competition's 36-team league phase, each club plays eight matches. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, and teams placed ninth to 24th go into a play-off round, La Nacion noted in its report. ^[2]

Background

Sporting began its league phase campaign with a 3-1 home win over Galatasaray, with goals from Geny Catamo, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo Zalazar, the club said on its website in September. Rui Borges was Sporting's head coach for the LASK game, RTP reported. ^{[6] [1]}

The two clubs have met in European competition before. Sporting beat LASK 2-1 in a 2019-20 Europa League tie at the same stadium, according to UEFA's match history page. ^[7]

What is not yet confirmed

The sources reviewed did not carry post-match comments from either coach or full match statistics such as possession and shots. Sources also differ slightly on the timing of some events: the live Vavel page lists Sporting's opener at 4 minutes in one place and 5 in another, and Lang's equaliser at 14 and 15 minutes. This report uses the minutes given by Africa Soccer and RTP-consistent listings, and no official UEFA match report was available for review at the time of writing. ^{[3] [5]}

Both clubs return to league phase action in the next round of Champions League fixtures, whose schedule is published by UEFA. With five games each still to play after matchday 3, the table remains fluid, and the gap between 12th and 24th place is a matter of points rather than any settled outcome. ^{[2] [1]}