Sporting’s giant shone but suffered a knock, had a bit of discomfort | OneFootball

Ousmane Diomande reacted to the match between Athletic and Sporting, part of the eighth round of the Champions League. The game, held in the Basque Country, ended with a victory for the lions by 3-2, a result that allowed the green and white team to secure a place in the top-8 of the standings.

The Ivorian defender spoke about returning to the field and the importance of the goal he scored after recovering from an injury: "It was my first goal in the Champions League, so I'm happy to have helped the team. It's good to be back. I really wanted to play again. I had a slight discomfort, but it was nothing serious. Now I'm back and hope to play more minutes to help the team."

The player expressed satisfaction with continuing at Sporting, after renewing his contract with the lions: "Now, I'm happy here, that's the most important thing. I only think about Sporting and helping the team as much as possible. That's the most important thing for me now. Thank you to all the fans for the support. Let's go!", he said.

Rui Borges' protégé, despite having played few minutes in the African Cup of Nations (CAN), had not been an option for the lions for about a month and a half, returned with a slight muscle problem, having left the match at the 54-minute mark to make way for Eduardo Quaresma.

In the current 2025/26 sports season, Ousmane Diomande – valued at 45 million euros – played 13 matches for Sporting: six in the Liga Portugal Betclic, five in the Champions League, one in the Portuguese Cup, and another in the Super Cup. In total, the central defender has accumulated 1,001 minutes.

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