Sporting beat European champions PSG 2-1 at Alvalade | OneFootball

European champions Paris Saint-Germain came to Lisbon, bossed most of the game, only for a disciplined and spirited Sporting to flip the script and beat the French giants 2-1 thanks to two goals from Luis Suárez.

Tom Kundert reports from the Estádio José Alvalade.

Sporting striker Luis Suárez celebrates scoring his first goal against PSG. (Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Sporting were still without injured stars Pedro Gonçalves and Ousmané Diomande, in addition to suspended captain Morten Hjulmand, as the Lions hosted the current Champions League holders. It was a return to his old stomping ground for the world’s best left-back, Nuno Mendes, who lined up alongside compatriot Vitinha, but PSG’s other Portuguese star midfielder João Neves missed out through injury, while Portugal striker Gonçalo Ramos started on the bench.

The Parisiens had two goals ruled out after VAR checks in a one-sided first half dominated by the away team, Zaire-Emery and Mendes left disappointed as the officials upstairs ruled fouls had preceded the ball entering the net.

João Simões shines

Although PSG peppered Sporting’s net throughout the opening 45 minutes, it is no less true that Rui Silva did not have a difficult save to make. Much of the credit must go to João Simões who made a series of important interceptions and surges up the pitch to relieve the pressure on Sporting.

Sporting had only attacked sporadically, Geny Catamo firing into the side-netting and Morita lifting a chance over the bar, but when Luis Suárez was inches away from converting a Trincão cross early in the second half it signalled a change in the match as the home team carried more threat.

Nevertheless, PSG were still doing most of the attacking, Dembélé heading in on 57 minutes only to be disappointed by an offside flag.

Mendes fired a free kick just over the bar and Dembélé then forced Rui Silva into a sharp save at his near post.

Catamo causes chaos, Suárez takes advantage

A confident Geny Catamo, fresh from his two-goal salvo at the weekend was keeping the PSG defence on his toes and the Mozambican was instrumental in the home side taking the lead in the 74th minute.

Geny won a corner, which was only half cleared, with the winger smashing a volley towards goal from outside the box, with the ball deflecting into the path of Luis Suárez. The Colombian produced a cool low finish past Lucas Chevalier. Cue an eruption of joy among the vast majority of the 50,000+ crowd.

The lead did not last long though. Substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia collected a pass from Dembélé, shimmied past his marker and smashed a stupendous curling shot into the top corner of the net.

The game seemed to be drifting to a draw although late Sporting substitute Alisson Santos gave the hosts new impetus with some darting runs into the box that had PSG’s defence in a panic.

Suárez brings the house down

A draw would have been a decent result for Sporting but the indefatigable Luis Suárez, who worked incredibly hard all night, often as the lone attacker, got a rich reward for his efforts. Trincão’s rasping shot was too hot for Chevalier to handle, with Suárez cleverly heading in the rebound to send the crowd into raptures for a second time on the night.

Sporting held firm for the three points and could well go into the last round of matches defending an automatic qualification spot for the round of 16. A little over year from the 4-1 destruction of Manchester City, Sporting fans have another European night that will live long in the memory.

Sporting: Rui Silva, Iván Fresneda, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Mangas (Georgios Vagiannidis, 63’), João Simões (Daniel Bragança, 86’), Hidemasa Morita, Geny Catamo (Alisson Santos, 87’), Francisco Trincão (Giorgi Kochorashvili, 95’), Maxi Araújo, Luis Suárez

PSG: Lucas Chevalier, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Fabián Ruiz (Illia Zabarnyi, 81’), Senny Mayulu (Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 66’), Vitinha, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola (Gonçalo Ramos, 70’)

[2-1] Luis Suárez, 90’