Tottenham Hotspur conceded two late goals in a 2-0 defeat to Sporting Lisbon as they suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season in Group D.
While the Lilywhites were easily quelled by Ruben Amorim's side on the attacking front, Sporting's Paulinho and Champions League debutant Arthur Gomes both struck in the dying embers to continue their perfect start to continental proceedings.
The first 45 at the Estadio Jose Alvalade was largely devoid of goalmouth quality, although Richarlison - given the nod over Dejan Kulusevski once again - was presented with a number of half-chances.
The Brazilian had a tame header saved by Antonio Adan before placing the ball in the back of the net near the end of the half, but the goal was ruled out for offside as the Sporting backline kept Antonio Conte's attackers in check.
It was a former Lilywhites starlet who nearly produced one of the finest solo goals the Champions League has witnessed in recent memory, as Marcus Edwards picked the ball up close to the halfway line and evaded tackle after tackle before Hugo Lloris managed to save his close-range effort.
The French goalkeeper was fortunate to see the ball deflect under his arm and just trickle past the post, as Edwards showed flashes of Lionel Messi towards the end of an otherwise drab first 45 minutes.
That's a wonderful run and finish from Arthur Gomes! 🟢⚪️
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 13, 2022
The icing on the cake for Sporting as they see off Tottenham 2-0! 🧁#UCL pic.twitter.com/ZlJhXhHbHb
Sporting were forced to quell a wave of Tottenham pressure early in the second half, but a lack of penetration continued to bedevil the North London club, and Edwards continued to threaten for the hosts when presented with an opportunity in the final third.
Not until the 71st minute would Conte bring on the fresh legs of Kulusevski in place of Son Heung-min, as Tottenham sought the goal that would see them open a Champions League campaign with two wins for the first time since 2017-18.
After the Tottenham pressure dwindled, Sporting went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 90th minute as Pedro Porro cut inside before his curling was tipped wide by Lloris at full stretch, but the resulting corner would pay dividends for the hosts.
Paulinho rose highest to meet Pedro Goncalves's corner, and his deft header nestled into the side of the net to send the home crowd into pandemonium before substitute Gomes - who had only just replaced Edwards - finished off a mazy run on the left-hand side with a cool finish from a tight angle three minutes into added time.
Victory for the Portuguese giants in their inaugural clash with Tottenham marked their first-ever win against English opposition in the Champions League, having previously lost five and drawn one such matches.
Tottenham will aim to bounce back from the 2-0 defeat when they tackle Leicester City in Saturday's Premier League clash before the international break.
Ben Knapton
