Alisson Santos is Sporting’s Mr Champions, curse finally broken | OneFootball

The winger Alisson Santos once again played a crucial role in a UEFA Champions League match. The Brazilian forward scored the decisive goal against Athletic Bilbao (3-2), but this is not the first time the player has helped the Alvalade club find happiness in Europe.

It all began on September 18, in the 4-1 win over Kairat Almaty, when he was brought on in the 61st minute and scored just seven minutes later, in the 68th. However, his first night of glory would come on October 22, when he came off the bench with 10 minutes left and scored the winning goal against Marseille for a 2-1 victory in the 86th minute. But the best was yet to come against the Basques, when he entered the field in the 87th minute, but in time to make history and end Sporting’s curse in Spain.

This is the first time Sporting has ever won on the land of “nuestros hermanos.” It took 14 attempts to achieve this unprecedented triumph. The best Sporting had managed before were three draws: 1-1 against Sevilla (UEFA Cup 1983/1984), 0-0 against Real Sociedad (UEFA Cup 1988/1989), and another goalless draw against Atlético de Madrid (Europa League 2009/2010).

More than just prestige, the national double champions, with their qualification for the Champions League round of 16, have already pocketed €67.09 million. Just for qualifying, they earned another €11 million (in addition to €8.25 million for 7th place), and could add another €12.5 million if they reach the quarterfinals.

Sporting will have to wait until the draw on February 27 to find out who their opponent will be among the “top 16” of the old continent, which will come from this quartet: Benfica (24th place), Bodo/Glimt (23rd), Real Madrid (9th), or Inter Milan (10th).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.