Synthetic Spartak held
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ByEurosport
Published 27/09/2006 at 18:21 GMT
The first UEFA Champions League to be played on synthetic turf ended in a 1-1 draw between Spartak Moscow and Sporting Lisbon. An early Denis Boyarintsev strike was cancelled out by Nani just before the hour in the early-evening Group B encounter in Mosco
FOOTBALL 2006-2007 Champions League Spartak M-Sporting Tello Veloso Kovac
Image credit: Reuters
The match was the first played on an artificial pitch after Spartak had the Luzhniki stadium fitted out with a hi-tech material.
The surface performed fairly well, a far cry from the high-bouncing 'plastic' pitches of the 1980s, and will clearly hold up to the cold Russian winter far better.
Sporting spent the first few minutes getting used to the surface but before they had a chance to settle, Boyarintsev had given Spartak the lead.
The ball was knocked down at the edge of the visitors' box and Boyarintsev curled a brilliant shot into the top-right corner from the edge of the box, giving Ricardo no chance.
Spartak were unable to turn their dominance into a second goal, having an optimistic penalty appeal turned down before Boyarintsev saw his header saved by Ricardo.
The Portuguese international goalkeeper was called into action throughout a one-sided period either side of half-time, starting with an agile parry from Boyarintsev just before the break.
He then pulled off a remarkable reflex save to deny Roman Pavlyuchenko from close range, while the Russian striker also headed wide from a great position following Yegor Titov's cross.
Ricardo denied Vladimir Bystrov again before Sporting hit their hosts with a perfect smash-and-grab effort on the break.
Nani played a one-two with Liedson before the teenager rounded Wojciech Kowalewski and slotted home from a tight angle on the right.
Emboldened by their equaliser against the run of play, and with an extra midfielder in Carlos Paredes, Paulo Bento's visiting side seized the initiative.
Liedson and Nani continued to look dangerous with Joao Moutinho, reportedly a transfer target for several leading clubs including Manchester United, also showing some nice touches.
Spartak also made some positive changes, bringing on the pacy Quincy Owusu Abeyie ten minutes from time, but neither side could land the killer blow.
The result allowed the Russian side to pick up their first point after a 4-0 drubbing by Bayern Munich last fortnight, while Sporting are still unbeaten following a surprising 1-0 win over Internazionale on Matchday 1.
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