Soccer-Eintracht stage 2-1 comeback win over Sporting to reach last 16

LISBON -Eintracht Frankfurt staged a second-half comeback by scoring twice in 10 minutes to beat hosts Sporting 2-1 on Tuesday and qualify for the Champions League last 16 for the first time, knocking the Portuguese out of the competition.

The Europa League champions pulled themselves out of the depths of despair at halftime when they were facing certain elimination and with goals from Daichi Kamada and Randal Kolo Muani after the break left the pitch as unlikely winners.

"We didn't start well at the beginning of the game. But we are a comeback team, we gave everything in the second half and deservedly make the next round," said 32-year-old Eintracht captain and man-of-the-match Sebastian Rode.

"We continue our European adventure and that's the next highlight for Eintracht Frankfurt," said Rode, who came on at the start of the second half to orchestrate their game.

Eintracht finished Group D in second place on 10 points from six games, with Tottenham Hotspur top on 11 after their last-gasp 2-1 victory at bottom club Olympique de Marseille. Sporting are third and will continue in the Europa League.

Sporting needed only a point to advance to the knockout stages but would have fallen a goal behind in the 13th minute were it not for a reflex save by Sporting keeper Antonio Adan to stop team mate Paulinho from heading an own goal.

The hosts had Nuno Santos taken off with what looked like a serious ankle injury early in the game but still took the lead when winger Arthur Gomes volleyed home at the far post after a looping cross was headed on in the 39th minute.

Eintracht hardly got a look-in during the first half and were clearly lacking ideas, with Sporting doing really well to quickly shut down spaces.

But the hosts lost their