A penalty miss can be indeed costly, as football fans have seen time and time again, and CSKA Moskva star Seydou Doumbia learned this the hard way after failing to convert against Portuguese outfit Sporting during their first leg of their Champions League qualifier. After a disappointing spell with Roma, the Ivory Coast international is back in the Russian capital and had the opportunity to earn what would have been a vital away goal for Leonid Slutsky's men. However, nerves got the better of him and despite making amends with a 40th minute goal, the damage was already done as the hosts were able to snatch a win after Slimani fired home their second goal in the last moments of the match.
Still, the team, known by fans as the Krasno-sinie (Red-Blues) or lately, the Koni (Horses) nonetheless do hold a vital away goal in hand and as such, are still well within contention to secure their spot in the Champions League group stages. As a result of finishing second in the Russian Premier League, the hosts have had to secure their spot in the continent's premier club competition the hard way - through the dreaded play-off. Yet, despite this being unfamiliar territory for the hosts - who are appearing in the play-offs for the first time in their history - they can be perhaps encouraged by the fact that their Portuguese opponents have performed poorly upon visits to the Russian capital.
In fact, Sporting are sans a win in their last two visits to Moscow, with one loss and one draw. They are also quite poor in terms of their showings on the road and are still seeking their first away win in over ten matches played over the past four seasons. Yet, last season's Russian Premier League runners-up have not fared well on home turf either, with their last European triumph taking place over Viktoria Plzeň in October 2013, when they were able to power past the Czech side 3-2. In addition, they themselves have been frustrated by Portuguese opposition, and have lost three out of their last four meetings; their only win was against Benfica, a 2-0 result during a 2005 UEFA Cup clash that was hosted in Krasnodar.
Despite the tricky task ahead, Leonid Slutsky is still optimistic about his side's chances to progress, regardless of their unsteady form at home as of late:
"We tried to play on the counterattack and take advantage of the chances we had, but things do not always go the way you want. [However, although] we lost, there is a second match to come and that may change everything," he analyzed following his team's defeat.
Meanwhile, his opposing tactician, Jorge Jesus, was way more confident in his team's chances, noting that they "have the quality to score in Moscow", setting the stage for what could be an interesting 90 minutes in Russia's capital.
Key stats
- The loss to Sporting was CSKA Moskva's first defeat in 10 Champions League qualifying matches.
- However, Sporting have yet to win a match in their last 14 games on the road, with four draws and ten defeats. Their last win was back in September 2011 during a Europa League group stage game.
- They also lost to Serie A's Fiorentina on away goals during their only previous Champions League play-off during the 2009/2010 season (after both matches ended 2-2 and 1-1).
- CSKA are seeking their first home win in European competitions since October 2013; in their last six games they have lost three and drawn three.
- CSKA Moskva will be seeking their second win against Sporting. In 2005, the Russian powerhouse thrashed them 3-1 during the 2005 UEFA Cup final that took place at Sporting's home ground, and in doing so, they became the first Russian side to win a major European trophy.
Will CSKA be able to use their vital away goal in order to overturn a slight deficit? Or will Sporting frustrate them yet again on their own home turf?
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