Glenn Hoddle was furious with the penalty Sporting were awarded as they completed an incredible comeback against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League last 16. The Portuguese club returned home trailing 3-0 after a heavy defeat in Norway a week ago. But they were dominant in the second leg and deservedly pulled one goal back 34 minutes in through Goncalo Inacio's header.

Pedro Goncalves then gave the Estadio Jose Alvalade real hope when he made it 3-2 on aggregate on the hour mark. And as Sporting repeatedly pushed for a third goal to draw level in the tie, they were handed a penalty when Fredrik Bjorkan was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box. After a delay, Swiss referee Sandro Scharer was told to consult the pitchside VAR monitor and following a quick check, pointed to the spot. Striker Luis Suarez sent goalkeeper Nikita Haikin the wrong way to send the home fans into raptures. But not everyone was satisfied, with Hoddle frustrated on TNT Sports' commentary.

The 68-year-old former England player and manager even declared that "the game is gone" as he reacted to the decision to award a spot-kick. Immediately after the incident occurred, as Sporting players surrounded the referee to plead for a penalty, Hoddle said: "It's too close. They'll have a look but at the end of the day I think it's too close."

As the replays were shown, the former Tottenham midfielder added: "That's too close and there's a slight deflection as well. They can't give penalties for that. It did hit his hand but it's come off his stomach on to his hand and his hand is not really... in the vicinity of where the cross has gone in from...

"If we're giving penalties for this then the game has gone. Can we play with a different sized ball and different goals in Europe then? Because you know, I don't get that. I really don't. If we're giving penalties for things like this...

"Because it hits his arm doesn't mean it's a penalty always, from that vicinity. You just flick a ball up against someone's hand and then you claim for a penalty, that's how it's going to go."

Once the penalty was given, he said: "That annoys me. For the sake of football, that is not a penalty. If that's in the Premier League, that's not given, 100 per cent. I've got to say, if that's a penalty then we should all pack it in."

The second leg ended 3-0 after 90 minutes, forcing extra time. Sporting were unable to snatch a decisive fourth goal to avoid playing an extra half-hour despite having 33 attempts on goal.

Before extra time got underway, Hoddle had a fresh moan at the penalty decision. He fumed: "I just don't think that's a penalty in the Premier League, I don't think it's a penalty per se.

"It's deflected from his chest on to his hand and his hand wasn't so far from his body either. I just don't understand handball anymore. Nobody does I don't think. You never know in Europe. It seems to be if the ball hits your arm, it's a penalty."

And Sporting scored their fourth goal, to take the lead in the tie, just two minutes into extra time, with Maximiliano Araujo beating the keeper at the near post. They secured their spot in the last eight with a 122nd minute fifth goal from Rafael Nel to win 5-3 on aggregate.

The winner of this contest could face Premier League leaders Arsenal in the quarter-finals, if the Gunners get past Bayer Leverkusen later tonight.