Sporting CP UEFA Youth League 2026/27

Sporting CP U19 v Galatasaray U19

Wednesday September 9th, 2026
UEFA Youth League Round 1

Starting XI

Tverdohlebov, Bastianele, Stasiak, Coxi, Rijo, Simão, Camacho, Varela, Grombahi, Silva, Garrafa

0-0 at half time Tiago Fernandes made a treble substitution with Ferreira, Marques and Machado replacing Varela, Bastianele and Garrafa. 

In the first half the best opportunity fell to Right back Yusuf Sivaslıoğlu on 39' who thundered a shot against the bar from 24 yards out. It was 
Sivaslıoğlu who put the visitors ahead on 49' with a bizarre goal from just inside the far right of the Sporting area. One assumes he was trying to cross it into the six yard box for a teammate to attack but it struck the left hand post hand post and into the back of the net to leave Tverdohlebov stood wondering what on earth had just happened.

On 51' Grombahi's run into the area ended with contact from captain Karasu which certainly looked like a penalty from the reverse angle but nothing given. 55' Camacho saw an effort from 15 yards well saved by Arda Yilmaz and Gala cleared their lines. Another big save a minute later from Camacho's 18 yard strike. The lions thought they'd been awarded a penalty when Silva was fouled a couple of seconds later. Given I cannot speak Portuguese I can only assume the referee overturned his decision for offside. 

Tagay doubled their lead on 64. He ran onto a hopeful through ball from Karasu, holding off the attention of Machado to his left. Tverdohlebov had come to try close the ball down but not fast enough and Tagay clipped the ball past him into the bottom left hand corner from 17 yards. Almeida then replaced Simão on 68'. Even when they were reduced to ten men following the sending off of defender Cihan Akgün on 73' they still looked destined for all 3 points going past the 90 minute mark and into additional time. In a moment of stupidity off the ball he swung an arm into the face of Silva. 

On 80' Silva came close to scoring from 7 yards to making it 2-1 as his volley on the turn was expertly turned over by the keeper from close range. Marques sufferered the indignity of a substitute being substituted with 10 remaining as Mendes was brought on as a more attacking option to try force a way back. On 89' Ferreira's header from 8 yards was tipped over for a corner and their looked no way past him despite all their efforts in the second half. 

Ferreira made it 1-2 three minutes past the 90. He held off Sivaslıoğlu running into the box and wide left, 12 yards from the goal line smashed it into the centre of the net. If the opening goal had been bizarre then the equaliser on +7'57 was something else. Coxi from 8 yards inside his own half punted the ball long, but too long for his teammates to get onto but long enough to go over the head of Arda Yilmaz and straight into the net. The goal left Gala players crestfallen everywhere.