Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres scored one goal and had a hand in another as Sporting claimed a comfortable 2-0 win away at Sturm Graz.
After dominating the opening stages, the Portuguese giants’ pressure told on 23 minutes. Left-back Nuno Santos took advantage of a mis-kicked shot from Gyokeres to smash the ball through the arms of Kjell Scherpen.
The hosts reacted well to falling behind, with William Boving and Mika Biereth having efforts blocked and cleared off the line in quick succession before half-time.
Their resistance was short-lived however, as Gyokeres doubled Sporting’s lead after the restart.
The Swede collected the ball just beyond the halfway line, outmuscling defender Niklas Geyrhofer out wide before arcing his run towards the box.
He finished the superb solo run by rounding the goalkeeper and rolling the ball into an empty net, taking his season tally to 18 goal involvements in just 13 games.
The visitors looked to have been granted the opportunity to claim a third goal late on, although the decision to award a penalty for a foul on Geny Catamo was overturned upon review.
After a 24-year wait to return to the Champions League group stage, Sturm Graz’s wretched start continues with a third defeat in a row.
Sporting have made a strong start to their campaign with two wins and a draw from their opening three matches, having gone unbeaten in their first three games of a European campaign for the first time since in 1962-63.
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