CSKA Moscow came back to beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 and win the Uefa Cup on Wednesday, with Daniel Carvalho setting up all three goals.
Trailing 1-0, the Brazilian sent a free kick to Alexei Berezutskiy for the equaliser in the 57th minute. Berezutskiy headed his shot into the ground and over Sporting goalkeeper Ricardo, setting off celebrations in the section reserved for the 4 000 CSKA fans at Sporting’s Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Carvalho later sent a through ball to Yuri Zhirkov, who ran into the area and shot the ball through the legs of Ricardo in the 66th.
Vagner Love made it 3-1 in the 75th, scoring into an open net after a deft pass from Carvalho on the counterattack.
Carvalho, who came to Sporting from Brazilian club Internacional last year, was named man of the match.
CSKA became the first Russian team to win a European final.
Dynamo Moscow came close, reaching the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup final, but lost to Rangers.
Sporting midfielder Rogerio gave his team the lead in the 28th minute. The Brazilian’s shot from outside the box curled into the top right corner of the net, leaving CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev stranded.
Rogerio’s goal was only the fifth that CSKA had conceded in eight Uefa Cup matches.
Sporting nearly equalised at 2-2 moments before CSKA’s third goal, but Rogerio’s shot at an open goal hit the post.
Sporting had more possession in the first half — and eight corners to CSKA’s one — but the Portuguese team’s shorter forwards had difficulty getting behind the CSKA defence.
Sporting had another chance to score in the first half when Tello’s free kick was headed clear by Sergei Ignashevich.
Love then missed a chance to equalise a minute before half-time.
Ivica Olica, playing with a face mask after breaking his nose in CSKA’s last domestic match, crossed the ball into the box where Love had only goalkeeper Ricardo to beat, but he side-footed the ball wide.
CSKA, who were knocked out of the first stage of the Champions League, have played 18 games in Europe this season and are the first Russian club to reach a continental final in 33 years. Sporting have played four games fewer.
The Moscow club have played twice in Portugal this season without defeat. They drew 0-0 with FC Porto in the Champions League and, after dropping to the Uefa Cup, drew 1-1 at Benfica to secure a 3-1 aggregate win.
Sporting’s only European trophy came when they beat MTK Budapest to win the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1964. Sporting are the second Portuguese club to play in the Uefa Cup final in three years after FC Porto, who also won last year’s Champions League, won Europe’s number-two competition in 2003.
The last team to play a European final in their own stadium were Feyenoord in the 2002 Uefa Cup final. Feyenoord beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2. — Sapa-AP