Sporting drew with French team Montpellier, 32 goals apiece, in the first leg of the EHF Champions League quarter-finals. [expander_maker id=”1″ ] Both teams were incredibly evenly matched in a closely contested game, with Sporting holding a one-goal advantage at halftime (18-17).

Sporting had a great opportunity to pull ahead in the second half, leading by three goals with only 10 minutes left on the clock (30-27 and 31-28), but Montpellier staged a comeback and scored four goals in a row to take the lead. Francisco Tavares saved the game for Sporting, scoring the last goal of the match to secure the draw.

The top scorers of the game were Francisco Tavares and Martim Costa from Sporting, both scoring seven goals each. Yanis Lenne also scored seven goals for Montpellier.

The result of the first leg, while not ideal for Sporting, still gives them a good chance of progressing to the semi-finals. They will need to put in a solid performance in the second leg to secure their place in the next round.

Sporting has had a successful season so far, winning the Portuguese Cup and reaching the final of the Portuguese League Cup. They will be hoping to continue their success in Europe, where they are one of the leading teams in the EHF Champions League.[/expander_maker]