Bolton have it all to do after draw

Bolton 1 Sporting Lisbon 1

Bolton will have to conjure another of their UEFA Cup away-day specials if this season’s European adventure is to continue.

The odds of reaching the quarter-finals are now stacked heavily in favour of Sporting Lisbon after Simon Vukcevic cracked a stunning equaliser to cancel out Gavin McCann’s first-half opener.

But Gary Megson’s side cannot be discounted as they have produced some remarkable results on their travels, notably in beating Red Star Belgrade and drawing with Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.

Much, though, will depend on the team Megson selects as his over-riding priority next week is the relegation showdown at Wigan that follows three days after the last-16 second leg in Lisbon.

At the Reebok Stadium, with three players ineligible, captain Kevin Nolan out with a back injury and El Hadji Diouf suspended, Megson fielded his strongest possible line-up.

With no Barclays Premier League fixture looming in the background this weekend and no relegation fears to play on the mind, Megson was able to go “hell for leather” as he yesterday remarked.

What Megson did not need, though, was to lose first-choice keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the warm-up to injury.

That handed Oman international Ali Al Habsi his fifth appearance – all this season – since a move from Lyn Oslo in January 2006.

When striker Heidar Helguson collapsed to the ground following a challenge from Lisbon goalkeeper Rui Patricio in the 14th minute, it appeared as if Megson’s injury woes were due to be compounded.

Patricio had raced out of his area in a bid to head off Helguson, starting only his third game after a £1.5million move from Fulham in the summer, as they both chased down a long ball from McCann.

But Patricio, who moments earlier had sustained a bloody nose in a collision with Helguson and team-mate Anderson Polga, caught the Iceland striker in the chest with a raised knee.

Helguson was clearly in pain, but fortunately for Megson was only winded as he then played his part in the opening goal in the 25th minute in front of the second biggest crowd of the season, 25,664.

Nicky Hunt, at right-back with Gretar Steinsson ineligible, pumped forward a free-kick from just inside the Bolton half to the edge of the box where Kevin Davies flicked on for Helguson.

The forward, with his back to goal, picked out Matt Taylor with a lay-off to his right, and after the midfielder’s shot was blocked, McCann sidefooted home from 14 yards.

It was only McCann’s second goal for the club, with his first the vital winner in Belgrade in December that enabled Bolton to qualify for the knockout phase.

A poor-looking Sporting side conjured what proved to be their only chance of the first half four minutes later, with Leandro Grimi finding Joao Moutinho in acres of space inside the Bolton area.

Moutinho, who had recovered from a bout of illness sustained in the team hotel, curled a right-foot shot inches over the bar and onto the roof of the net to Al Habsi’s relief.

In a half woefully short of opportunities, Taylor later thundered a right-foot shot narrowly wide after Tonel had blocked an attempted through ball from Hunt.

The woodwork then prevented Bolton from doubling their advantage seven minutes into the second half as they looked for additional security to take to the Estadio Jose Alvalade next Thursday.

Davies again managed to get another vital flick on, this time to a right-wing cross from Ivan Campo, for Helguson to send a stooping header onto the crossbar.

It served as Helguson’s last act as he was immediately replaced by Stelios Giannakopoulos, followed quickly by a booking for McCann for a foul on Moutinho that rules him out of the return.

Bolton, whether intentionally or otherwise, then began to sit back as they looked to protect their lead and they paid the price in the 69th minute.

Argentinian midfielder Leandro Romagnoli, on at half-time for Abel Ferreira, served notice of Sporting’s intent moments earlier by crashing a shot off the bar after a cutting run from the left.

Then came the away goal that hands the Portuguese the advantage, with Vukcevic crashing a 20-yard shot past Al Habsi courtesy of a fortuitous one-two with Rodrigo Tiui to Miguel Veloso’s long ball.

After Al Habsi then saved from Vukcevic, Patricio denied Taylor from the edge of the six-yard box as the game then could have gone either way.

Instead, it is Bolton who have it all to do.