CELTIC couldn’t score a goal in three and a half hours against Kairat Almaty in their dismal Champions League exit last month.
Sporting Lisbon thumped in THREE in THREE minutes as they demolished the Kazakhstan side 4-1 in the opening league encounter in Europe’s elite competition in the Portuguese capital last night.
The hosts also missed a penalty-kick, hit the post and bar as the Hoops’ conquerors were routed in the Estádio José Alvalade.
Their consolation strike came late in the game through Edmilson.
END OF THE ROUT…Geovany Quenda celebrates after hitting Sporting’s fourth goal against hapless Kairat Almaty in Lisbon last night.
It had been one-way traffic for most of the game and Sporting blew the chance of opening the scoring in the 21st minute when teenage keeper Sherkhan Kalmurza, who denied Adam Idah, Luke Cowan and Daizen Maeda in the shoot-out in Kazakhstan, thrust out a foot and deflected Morten Hiulmand’s weak penalty to safety.
The home side swarmed all over the visitors and it was only a matter of time before they claimed the breakthrough goal, which was provided with a drive from outside the box by Francisco Trincão a minute from the interval.
Kairat survived early scares after the turnaround before the roof fell in on them in a breathtaking spell for the rampant Portuguese.
Trincão netted again in the 65th minute and a couple of minutes later Alisson Santos made it 3-0. Moments later, Geovany Quenda went on a solo run through the rivals’ rearguard before completing the goal rampage.
Watching this performance, it is even more unfathomable that Brendan Rodgers’ men could not score a solitary goal against a team who are there for the taking.
