Sporting Lisbon Vs. Rangers: Pedro Mendes Puts Sporting Level, 1-1

Rangers may have held the majority of the possession in the first half, but it seemed that if an equalizer from Sporting Lisbon was going to come, it would be off the back of a defensive error by the visitors. Sure enough, such an error led to the goal by Pedro Mendes in the 42nd minute. David Weir failed to make an adequate clearance, letting the ball fall to Helder Postiga.The striker sent the ball back to Mendes, who sent in a beautiful shot from 20 yards out, the ball settling into the bottom right corner.

It’s now halftime at the Estádio José Alvalade, and should the score remain unchanged, we’re looking at extra time and then a stressful penalty shootout. But with the defense of both teams being prone to mistakes, the likelihood of a 1-1 finish after regulation time seems quite slim. With advancement in Europa on the line, both teams will give everything in attack, likely stretching their defenses even further.