Lillestrom snatch late leveller at Sparta Praha in Europa League
Sparta Praha were denied victory on home soil at Stadion Letná as Lillestrom equalised deep into stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw in their Europa League league-stage meeting.
The hosts had led since the second half, but a late intervention from the visitors' bench ensured the points were shared.
Substitutes make the difference
Sparta's breakthrough came from J. Alcócer, who had been introduced at half-time in place of E. Singhateh and found the net in the 56th minute to put the home side ahead.
Lillestrom responded in kind. T. Lehne Olsen, who replaced F. Gulbrandsen in the 65th minute, struck in the 90th minute to level the scores and deny Sparta all three points.
Both sides also used late changes defensively, with R. Macek coming on for Sparta and H. Melland for Lillestrom, though both were booked after entering the fray.
Chances and saves
Sparta edged the underlying numbers, recording a slightly higher expected goals tally of 1.12 to Lillestrom's 0.84, and were clearly the more threatening side in terms of shots on target, forcing eight efforts on goal compared to Lillestrom's two.
Yet it was Lillestrom's goalkeeper who proved busiest and most influential, making six saves to Sparta's solitary stop — a figure that underlines how the visitors held firm under pressure despite being outshot.