Sporting reach Last 16 with second half recovery

Despite trailing by four at half-time, Sporting CP proved their class in the second half to claim a second one-goal win over hosts Dinamo Bucuresti and progress to the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16.

• Dinamo’s first home loss of the season came in their most important match
• The home side’s top scorer Amine Bannour has a day to forget with two goals from 12 attempts
• Qatar international Frankis Carol led Sporting to victory with eight goals
• Veszprém or Vardar await the Portuguese club in their first Last 16 outing

GROUP C/D KNOCKOUT, LEG 2
Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Sporting CP (POR) 26:27
Sporting win 59:57 on aggregate

The sides were neck and neck in the opening quarter, in which Sporting looked comfortable playing in front of the passionate home crowd.

It took Dinamo until the 14th minute to finally take the lead through Andras Szasz and from there they began to take a hold on the match.

Sporting stayed in touch until a three-goal run, earned with a number of saves and fast breaks, late in the first half gave the hosts a four-goal lead, which they held on to at the break.

Sporting charged back into the game in the second half, with Frankis Carol setting the tone with three straight goals, but could not draw level until a quickfire double from Carlos Ruesga made it 19:19 with 17 minutes left to play.

Defence on both sides attempted to tighten up, but the teams continued to trade goals for the following 15 minutes, until Ruesga gave the Portuguese side a vital two-goal advantage.

A missed penalty by Andrei Negru consigned Dinamo to defeat and it was Sporting who celebrated passage to the Last 16 in front of a silenced Romanian crowd.

Frankis Carol goes low to send Sporting CP flying high into the #veluxehfcl Last 16!@AndebolSCP @Sporting_CP pic.twitter.com/BdEmEs8C3m

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) February 28, 2019