Lens 0-2 Sporting CP: Luis Suárez and a substitute's assist settle it at Bollaert-Delelis
Luis Suárez opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and substitute Issa Doumbia doubled it late on, as Sporting CP beat Lens 2-0 at Bollaert-Delelis to move to six points from two Champions League league-phase matches.
Sporting CP made it six points from six in this season's Champions League league phase, beating Lens 2-0 at Bollaert-Delelis thanks to a 22nd-minute finish from Luis Suárez and a second from substitute Issa Doumbia 16 minutes from time. It was a quiet night for the hosts, who finished the match without troubling the scoreboard despite spells of pressure in the second half.
Suárez breaks the deadlock, a substitute doubles it
Suárez's opener came from a Nestory Irankunda assist in the 22nd minute, giving the visitors the lead they would not relinquish. Lens pushed to get back into the game through the second half but could not find a way past a well-organised Sporting defence, and the game was put beyond doubt in the 74th minute when Doumbia, on for less than half an hour, finished off a move started by fellow substitute Silas Andersen.
A perfect start for Sporting
Sporting opened this league phase with a 3-1 win at home to Galatasaray, and this result makes it back-to-back wins without conceding a goal in open play. Six points from two matches, with a +4 goal difference, puts José Mourinho's side among the handful of teams with a perfect record heading into November's fixtures.
Two bookings and a flat night for Lens
Lens's frustration showed late on: Michaël Cuisance was booked in the 71st minute and Florian Thauvin followed him into the referee's book ten minutes later. It is a second defeat in three Champions League and domestic outings for Lens, who had opened their European campaign with a dramatic 3-2 stoppage-time win over Slavia Praha before this reverse at home.
Match facts
- 22' — Luis Suárez (Sporting CP), assist Nestory Irankunda
- 74' — Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), assist Silas Andersen
- 71' — Michaël Cuisance (Lens) booked
- 81' — Florian Thauvin (Lens) booked
- Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens — Champions League league phase, matchday 2, Tuesday 13 October 2026
| Stat | Lens | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 55.9% | 44.1% |
| Shots on target | 6 | 5 |
| Corners | 6 | 3 |
| Fouls | 8 | 12 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Accurate passes | 482/545 (88%) | 367/435 (84%) |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 0 |
Line-ups
| Lens | Sporting CP |
|---|---|
| Risser | Kaique |
| Baidoo | Inácio |
| Antonio | Quaresma |
| Ganiou | Araújo |
| Haïdara | Fresneda |
| Cuisance | Altimira |
| Udol | Doumbia |
| Abdulhamid | Simões |
| Ivanović | Suárez |
| Kadile | Irankunda |
| Thauvin | Catamo |
What's next
Sporting CP's unbeaten start to the league phase gives them a strong platform heading into the rest of the group fixtures, while Lens will look to bounce back on the domestic front before their next European assignment. Both sides return to league action before matchday 3 of the Champions League.
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