Barcelona needs own-goal to beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0

By AP
Published

LISBON, Portugal (AP) Barcelona needed an own-goal from Sporting Lisbon defender Sebastian Coates to claim a 1-0 away win on Wednesday in the Champions League.

The Spanish side tops Group D with two wins in two matches.

Coates accidentally struck when Lionel Messi's free kick deflected off two other players. The ball then hit Coates and bounced into the net four minutes after halftime.

An unconvincing Barcelona did little else in attack and needed goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to ensure the points with a key save as Sporting hemmed the visitors in their area for long stretches.

In the 90th minute a fan invaded the pitch to approach Messi before being escorted off.

Barcelona beat Juventus 3-0 in their group opener and leads Juventus and Sporting by three points. Juventus beat Greek side Olympiakos 2-0 in the group's other game Wednesday,

The victory in Portugal extended Barcelona's winning streak to eight games, including the Spanish league.

The defeat ended Sporting's unbeaten start to the season. It was the Lisbon club's first loss in 13 matches dating back to the final game of last season.

---

More AP Champions League coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/ChampionsLeague