Bodo had looked to be in a commanding position after their 3-0 victory in the first leg, but its chances at Estadio Jose Alvalade were few and far between as it missed out on the quarter-finals.

Sporting raced out of the blocks, and pulled its first goal back in the tie in the 34th minute, with Goncalo Inacio rising highest to nod Trincao's corner into the net.

Odin Bjortuft saw a header strike the crossbar before looping up and hitting the woodwork a second time just before the break, but Sporting was back on top in the second half.

It took it until the 61st minute to get its second; Luis Suarez squared it to Pote after a lightning-quick counter-attack, and he rifled it into the roof of the net.

Fredrik Bjorkan was then penalised for a handball after a VAR review, with Suarez confidently firing Sporting's third goal past Nikita Haikan, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the score on aggregate.

Nuno Santos almost snatched a win for Sporting in the 83rd minute, but his low, drilled effort rebounded off the post, much to the relief of a helpless Haikan.

In extra time, Maxi Araujo took just 83 seconds of the added period to put Sporting in front for the first time on aggregate, swerving his finish past Haikan, before Nel emphatic finish into the roof of the net rounded things off in the 121st minute.

This is not the first time Sporting have overturned a three-goal deficit to progress from a knockout-stage tie in major European competition, but it is its first in the Champions League.

It is the joint-most attempts by a Portuguese side in the Champions League.

While this is a match that will live long in Sporting's memory regardless, it was also one to savour for Nel, who scored on his Champions League debut.