Sporting Lisbon was determined to build on their wins in the first two group-stage matches. They were able to take a commanding lead in their Champions League match against Marseille after Francisco Trincao gave them a quick lead. But, this lead was only temporary.
Just 12 minutes after Sporting’s opening goal, one moment of poor judgement by their goalkeeper Antiono Adan began to suddenly spiral out of control. Adan received an innocuous backpass form his central defender. Adan then made the first of a series of errors when his clearance was placed in the net.
It was the type that goalkeepers receive numerous times per match, and one Adan would have expected to manage with ease. However, this time Adan did it wrong. Instead of setting up his clearance with his first touch, the ball sailed backwards onto Adan’s left foot. He had to do an extra touch to clear the ball from danger. Sanchez managed to close the gap between them and block the ball so that Adan could make an easy decision.
Three minutes later, Adan’s situation got worse. His poor clearance from a kick in his own box fell at Matteo Guendouzi, just 35 yards away from goal. This allowed Marseille to take possession, and placed Sporting under unnecessary pressure in an insecure area of the field. Less than 10 seconds later, Jonathan Clauss’ splendid cross was headed into the back of the net by Amine Harit to give Marseille a 2-1 lead.
When things are going well for you on the pitch, it’s not uncommon for the game to feel like slow-motion as everything you do seems easy and every action feels second nature. However, when you’re struggling, the complete opposite happens.
