Sturm Graz 0-2 Sporting CP: Santos and Gyokeres secure routine away win

Nuno Santos and Viktor Gyokeres were on target as a dominant Sporting eased to a 2-0 away victory over Sturm Graz in the Champions League.

Sporting maintained their unbeaten start to the league phase, with seven points from their opening three games, but for the Austrians, it was a third successive defeat with a trip to Borussia Dortmund next up on November 5.

The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half when Geny Catamo embarked on an excellent run on the right wing. His low cross was missed by Gyokeres but turned in by Santos.

Home goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen will feel he should have kept the ball out with a poor attempt at a stop, but there was little he could do about the second goal for the visitors.

The powerful Gyokeres was released down the left flank, and he brushed aside his defender before showing great composure to place the ball past Scherpen.

Sporting have won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions, with the only blemish a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven. They host Manchester City in their next Champions League fixture.

OS LEÕES RUGEM MAIS ALTO! Vitória europeia na Áustria!

Nuno Santos e Viktor Gyökeres
0-2 // #STUSCP #UCL pic.twitter.com/bA9apZqLcz

— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) October 22, 2024

Data Debrief: Smooth sailing

Sporting have now gone unbeaten across their first three matches of a Champions League campaign for the first time in their history (W2 D1) thanks to their routine victory on Tuesday.

In fact, their win was the 175th win by a Portuguese club in the competition, becoming the sixth nation to reach this milestone after Spain, England, Germany, Italy and France.

And Gyokeres was their standout performer, as he became the first Sporting player to both score and assist in a Champions League game since Paulinho in September 2022.