Sporting Club Triumphs Over Glasgow City in Europa Cup Thriller

Sporting Club advanced to the quarter-finals of the Europa Cup following a thrilling encounter against Glasgow City in Lisbon, where they scored two extra-time goals to conclude the Scottish team’s European campaign.

The match took a pivotal turn when Nicole Kozlova headed Glasgow City in front late in the first half, establishing a 2-1 aggregate lead for the visitors. However, Sporting’s Telma Encarnacao displayed her prowess with a clever finish, leveling the match and sending it into extra time, where she scored again to secure the victory. Carla Armengol also contributed to the scoreline, setting Sporting up for a quarter-final clash against either Hammarby or Ajax.

Sporting Club asserted themselves right from the start, putting pressure on City goalkeeper Lee Gibson in the opening minutes. Despite being under pressure, Glasgow City began to find their rhythm and stunned the home crowd by taking the lead just four minutes before the interval. A deep free-kick from Lisa Evans was flicked on by Kimberley Smit, allowing Kozlova to finish from close range.

Following this, Kozlova posed a threat again before halftime, and City opened the second half with promising attempts from Linda Motlhalo. Yet, Sporting regained control as they sought an equalizer, which arrived when a direct ball over the top found Telma, who executed a first-time shot to beat Gibson.

Telma, who had already scored in the first leg, nearly added another with a powerful free-kick that struck the post in the closing minutes of regulation time, with the rebound narrowly missing the target. Claudia Neto also came close as City defended desperately to maintain their advantage.

As the match progressed into extra time, Sporting maintained their attacking momentum, culminating in Telma’s goal as she cleverly maneuvered between the visiting center-backs to nod the ball home. Shortly after the break in extra time, Armengol sealed the contest with a well-placed finish over Gibson’s reach.

Leanne Ross, head coach of Glasgow City, commented, “I don’t think we created enough when we had the ball, but I thought we defended well for long spells. I’m just really proud of the effort that we got from every single player in the squad and what we’ve achieved on this European journey. We’ll use this as motivation for the rest of the season. This is where we want to be, so we need to make sure we keep doing well in the domestic league.”