Share

Nani's stunner sinks Maribor

Lisbon - Winger Nani scored a superb solo goal to help Sporting beat Maribor 3-1 on Tuesday as the Portuguese side gave a big boost to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League last 16.

Carlos Mane and Islam Slimani were also on target for Sporting, who won their second game in a row after taking only one point from their opening three matches, while an own goal by Jefferson kept the Slovenians in the hunt until the last 20 minutes.

Sporting are second in Group G with seven points from five matches, two ahead of Schalke who were thrashed 5-0 at home by Chelsea.

The Portuguese visit Chelsea in their last game where a point will be enough to finish second thanks to their better head-to-head record with Schalke who travel to Maribor.

Maribor, bottom with three points, have been eliminated while Chelsea (11 points) top the group.

Mane stroked home Jefferson's low cross at the far post in the 10th minute to give Sporting a flying start.

Nani doubled the lead 25 minutes later when he collected a pass inside the penalty area, side-stepped his marker, saw his first shot blocked, pounced on the rebound, jinked to the right, put his foot on the ball, side-stepped two markers and fired the ball in.

Jefferson deflected an Ales Mejac cross into his own net just before half-time to bring Maribor back into the match.

Sporting then struggled to regain their rhythm after the game was held up for 45 minutes at halftime by a floodlight failure.

However, they restored their two-goal advantage in the 65th minute when Joao Mario's cross from the right was headed back into the goalmouth by Nani at the far post and Algeria forward Slimani hooked the ball in from close range.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1117 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1283 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1977 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE