Guirassy Shines as Dortmund Dominates Sporting in Champions League Play-off
Classy Guirassy Puts Dortmund in Driving Seat Against Sporting
Serhou Guirassy’s standout performance helped Borussia Dortmund secure a commanding 3-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off on Tuesday, placing the German side in the driver’s seat for the return leg.
Guirassy, the competition’s top scorer with 10 goals, opened the scoring after the hour mark, making it his 10th goal of the campaign. He then turned provider, delivering a perfectly timed cross for Pascal Gross, who doubled Dortmund’s lead with a clinical finish. Karim Adeyemi added a third as Dortmund sliced through the Sporting defense on a swift counter-attack at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Despite Sporting’s dominance in the first half, where they created several chances, including a long-range shot from Francisco Trincao and a thunderous strike from Maxi Araujo that hit the crossbar, Dortmund grew stronger in the second half, showing their attacking power under new coach Niko Kovac.
“The lads did a great job,” Kovac said, praising his team’s mentality, physicality, and aggression. “We stepped up after the break and got the reward we deserved.”
Dortmund’s victory was their first under Kovac in only his second match at the helm. The team also managed to keep their first clean sheet in 14 matches across all competitions, a solid defensive performance following their shaky start to the season.
Gross spoke about the turnaround: “You could tell in the first half that we weren’t brimming with confidence, but after the break, we played a very decent game.”
Sporting, who had impressed in the first half, struggled to maintain momentum after the first goal and could not recover from Dortmund’s swift attacking play. Despite a few strong saves from Rui Silva and some individual brilliance from their players, Sporting failed to capitalize on their early chances.
“We were not at our best physically, and after the first goal, our spirits dropped,” Sporting coach Rui Borges admitted. “In the Champions League, we need to be at 200 percent, and we’re not even at 100 percent.”
With the loss, Sporting faces an uphill challenge in the second leg at Dortmund on February 19. However, defender Matheus Reis remains optimistic: “In Dortmund, we will go with the mentality of trying to win. We know it will be difficult, but we are Sporting, and we will fight until the end.”
Dortmund’s dominant display has given them a strong advantage ahead of the return leg, with Guirassy and his teammates poised to secure their spot in the next round of Europe’s elite competition.
Guirassy Shines as Dortmund Dominates Sporting in Champions League Play-off