Borussia Dortmund defeats Sporting CP 3-0 in Champions League playoff

Serhou Guirassy led Borussia Dortmund to a commanding 3-0 victory over Sporting CP in the first leg of their Champions League playoff, scoring once and assisting another. Guirassy's header marked his 10th goal in the competition, equaling the record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League season by a Dortmund player, shared with Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski. Following Guirassy's goal, Pascal Gross netted the second, while Karim Adeyemi capped the scoring with a third goal in a swift counter-attack. Despite a strong start from Sporting, who hit the crossbar in the first half, Dortmund's superior second-half performance secured their first win under new coach Niko Kovac. The return leg in Dortmund is set for February 19, where Sporting faces a significant challenge to overturn the three-goal deficit. This victory also marked Dortmund's first clean sheet in 14 matches across all competitions.