Sporting Lisbon spoils Frankfurt's Champions League debut

FRANKFURT, Germany -- — English forward Marcus Edwards scored one goal and set up another to help Sporting Lisbon defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 and spoil the German club’s Champions League debut on Wednesday.

Sporting stunned the home team with two quick-fire goals early in the second half. Edwards opened the scoring with a deflected shot in the 65th, two minutes before he set up Francisco Trincão for 2-0.

Substitute Nuno Santos completed the scoring with another incisive attack in the 82nd.

It was Sporting’s first-ever win in Germany, earned by taking advantage of spaces left in Frankfurt’s defense as the home team had been pushing for the breakthrough. Oliver Glasner’s players had been looking more likely to score.

“We had a 10 or 15-minute blackout in the second half, when they decided the game,” Frankfurt midfielder Djibril Sow said. “That's the Champions League – they scored three goals from three chances.”

Frankfurt was making its debut in Europe’s premier competition after winning last season’s Europa League. Its last game at this level was the 1960 European Cup final, which it lost 7-3 to Real Madrid. The European Cup became the Champions League in 1992 when it was restructured to allow more teams compete.

The home fans’ anticipation had been building for weeks, and the players reciprocated at the right time with a 4-3 win at Werder Bremen followed by Saturday’s 4-0 rout of Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Perhaps unsettled by the vociferous home support, Sporting’s players made a nervy start. Manuel Ugarte almost gifted Frankfurt an early opener with a back-pass into Randal Kolo Muani’s path, but goalkeeper Antonio Adán saved his teammate’s embarrassment with his outstretched left boot.

Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp also made a fine stop to deny Edwards in the 35th after the visitors worked their way into the game.

The English forward earlier thought he won a penalty after going down under a challenge from Christopher Lenz, but the decision was overturned with a VAR review.

Frankfurt allowed the visitors too much space in the second half, though the fans maintained their support throughout and sang loudly after the final whistle.

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