A 4-1 result against FC Kairat begins the team's European run

Sporting Clube de Portugal defeated FC Kairat 4-1 in the first round of the UEFA Champions League, as a brace from Francisco Trincão and goals from Alisson Santos and Geovany Quenda gave them a strong start to the competition.

On a hot night in Lisbon, Rui Borges made three changes to the starting XI, with Georgios Vagiannidis, Zeno Debast, and Ricardo Mangas replaced by Iván Fresneda, Eduardo Quaresma, and Maxi Araújo.

The match was a one-sided affair, and the stark differences between the two teams were evident from the outset. The first clear-cut chance came in the 5th minute, when, off a pass by Luis Suárez, Pedro Gonçalves used some majestic skill to beat an opposition defender, and had his shot saved by Sherhan Kalmurza.

In the 11th minute, Gonçalves made another run before trying to set up Suárez, but a clearance for a corner was made in time. The Colombian striker had an effort blocked shortly after, while Gonçalo Inácio met Geovany Quenda's corner kick with a header wide.

In the 17th minute, Giorgi Kochorashvili attempted to score with an acrobatic shot, but to no avail.

Suárez won a penalty when he was brought down inside the area, but Morten Hjulmand was unable to convert, as Sherhan Kalmurza saved the spot kick.

From distance, with a powerful curling shot, Quenda further tested Sherhan Kalmurza, who made another fine save. FC Kairat only managed to provide a chance of their own in the 34th minute: The Kazakh team had a shot from Dastan Satpayev well saved by João Virgínia.

Sporting CP didn't let up until they opened the scoring. Suárez came very close twice, when in the 37th minute he hit the post, and in the 40th minute he shot wide after a cross from Fresneda.

Finally, in the 44th minute, they made it 1-0: Inácio advanced upfield, passed to Kochorashvili, who skillfully cushioned the ball for Francisco Trincão to fire home from distance.

The second half started in lively fashion, with João Virgínia making a top save from Satpayev. The response was not long in coming, and in the 48th minute, Gonçalves crossed and Suárez headed the ball against the crossbar.

João Virgínia kept out shots from Ofri Arad, from distance, and Jorginho, from much closer.

Rui Borges made three changes halfway through the 90th minute: Fotis Ioannidis, Hidemasa Morita, and Alisson Santos came on for Luis Suárez, Giorgi Kochorashvili, and Pedro Gonçalves, respectively.

A crazy five minutes followed, in which Sporting CP scored no fewer than three goals. In the 64th minute, after Fresneda attacked down the right, the ball fell to Trincão, and he struck into the top corner.

After Matheus Reis came on for Maxi Araújo, earning his first minutes of the season, Sporting CP took the lead again in the 66th minute: Quenda broke through the opposition defence and fed Alisson Santos, whose powerful shot made it 3-0. It was the Brazilian's first goal for Sporting CP.

Quenda's turn to score came in the 68th minute, as he moved from the right to the centre of the box, danced past several opponents, and finished successfully.

Zeno Debast replaced Hjulmand, and the pace of the game slowed down. One exception came in the 80th minute, when Trincão could have scored a hat trick.

Five minutes later, the Kazakh team scored a consolation goal with a hit from Edmilson, but the game ended 4-1 in a comprehensive showing.

The team will now host Moreirense FC in Liga Portugal at 8:15pm on Monday, September 22nd. Their UEFA Champions League return is scheduled for October 1, with a trip to play Italian side SSC Napoli.

Sporting CP: João Virgínia [GK], Iván Fresneda, Eduardo Quaresma, Gonçalo Inácio, Maxi Araújo (Matheus Reis, 65'), Morten Hjulmand [C] (Zeno Debast, 69'), Giorgi Kochorashvili (Hidemasa Morita, 60'), Geovany Quenda, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves, (Alisson Santos, 60') and Luis Suárez (Fotis Ioannidis, 60').