Sporting Lisbon started the knockout round of the Europa League with a 3-1 victory vs Astana as a visitor in the first leg of the round of 32, with the stellar performance of Argentine player Marcos Acuna.
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The 26-year-old from Neuquen was the one who started the play for the second goal of the Portuguese team in Kazakhstan and set the victorious path. His personal maneuver included a backheel to leave an opponent with no options and a self-pass to outsmart another, before crossing for Gelson Martins to score.
Marin Tomasov had opened the scoring for the home team, while Bruno Fernandes, Martins and Seydou Doumbia turned the game around: it finished 3-1 at the Astana Arena stadium. The second leg in Portuguese territory will be next Thursday and the Lions will try to seal their place in the round of 16.
The former Racing and Ferro player continues to deliver good performances and aims to show Jorge Sampaoli that he deserves a spot in the squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.