After losing each of their opening six UCL games, Leipzig came into the contest knowing their European journey would end following the conclusion of the league phase.
However, their positive start made it clear that they were not treating this as a dead rubber, with Benjamin Sesko sliding home from David Raum’s square ball to break the deadlock just before the 20-minute mark.
Buoyed from supplying Sesko’s 14th goal of the season, Raum thought he had put his own name on the scoresheet when he curled the ball into the far corner after plucking a cross-field pass out of the air.
Unfortunately for the full-back, a VAR review confirmed Lois Openda had interfered with play from an offside position, denying Raum a first competitive goal since October 2023.
With his side trailing at the break, Sporting boss Borges would have been demanding a positive response in his first UCL half-time team talk, only to see Leipzig make the better start to proceedings in the second period.
Xavi Simons rifled a powerful effort over the crossbar, shortly before Amadou Haidara struck the upright with a fizzing right-footed shot. Those nervy moments ultimately convinced Borges to quickly turn to his bench, introducing Hidemasa Morita, Daniel Braganca and star striker Viktor Gyokeres in a purposeful triple change.
Gyokeres soon proved why he is one of the most in-demand strikers in Europe, driving into the box before shifting it onto his left foot to blast home his 34th goal of the campaign.
However, just as Gyokeres seemed to turn the momentum in Sporting’s favour, Leipzig substitute Yussuf Poulsen bundled the ball over the line to restore the hosts’ advantage with immediate effect.
The Dane’s effort proved enough to condemn the Lions to a third consecutive European defeat, placing their play-off position at further risk against the already-eliminated hosts.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)
