The match saw the participation of Saudi international full-back Saud Abdulhamid as a starter for Lens, before being substituted by the coaching staff in the 68th minute, while Algerian Yacine Titraoui came on as a substitute in the 80th minute.
Lens began the match with offensive pressure and almost opened the scoring early through Florian Thauvin, who unleashed a powerful left-footed shot in the fifth minute that was saved by the Sporting goalkeeper. The hosts returned to threaten the goal in the tenth minute when Malian Amadou Haidara rose for a header following a free kick taken by Thauvin, but it went just wide of the right post.
Against the run of play, the Portuguese team succeeded in opening the scoring in the 22nd minute through their Colombian striker Luis Suarez, who converted an Australian Nestory Irankunda cross with a right-footed ground shot into the bottom left corner of the hosts' goal.
Lens tried to get back into the game, and Haidara almost equalized in the 36th minute after following up on a ball inside the penalty area, but his attempt was blocked by a defensive intervention, while the goalkeeper excelled in saving it. On the other hand, Irankunda missed a chance to double Sporting's lead before the end of the first half, following a quick counterattack led by Geny Catamo.
At the start of the second half, Lens intensified their attacking attempts in search of an equalizer, and their coach made changes to energize the front line, including the exit of Saud Abdulhamid in the 68th minute and the entry of Greek Michalis Skouras in his place.
However, Sporting Lisbon dealt a new blow to the hosts' hopes by adding the second goal in the 74th minute through Italian Issa Doumbia, who went one-on-one with the goalkeeper following a pass from Danish Silas Sinan Andersen, before putting the ball into the net, confirming the Portuguese team's superiority and their departure with the three points.
In another match within the same round, Azerbaijan's Sabah defeated their guests, Czech side Slavia Prague, with a score of 2-0, thanks to goals from Jamaican Kaheem Paris in the 49th minute and Rwandan Joey-Lance Mickels in the 88th minute.
