Sporting’s left-footer dazzles, Athletic Bilbao left chasing shadows | OneFootball

Sporting defeated Athletic Bilbao in the final moments (3-2), securing qualification for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Alisson Santos scored the decisive goal and is the man of the moment. However, there was another Sporting player who stood out on the pitch: Maxi Araújo.

The Uruguayan international provided the assist for the Lions’ first goal, finished by Ousmane Diomande, and worked tirelessly, ending with 10 duels won out of 15, plus 13 defensive actions, including six tackles. He was one of the most important figures of the match.

The team led by Rui Borges also showed superiority in other aspects of the game, which help explain the victory for the Alvalade club. Offensively, the Lions took responsibility and set their new record for ball actions (808), well above the Basques’ 490. And in expected goals, the green and whites scored three goals from “just” 1.5 expected goals (xG), while the La Liga club didn’t get past 0.6.

On the defensive side, the team that finished 7th in the league phase of the prestigious competition can be quite satisfied. The Sporting squad won no less than 73 individual duels, 24 more than the Basques. Maxi Araújo’s outstanding performance contributed to these remarkable numbers.

This season, Maxi Araújo – valued at 22 million euros – has played 26 matches: 15 in Liga Portugal Betclic, eight in the UEFA Champions League, one in the Portuguese Cup, one in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 2,022 minutes he has been on the pitch, the winger has scored five goals and provided three assists.

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