The comprehensive result keeps the team top
Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Boavista FC 6-1 in a Sunday night home fixture on Liga Portugal Matchday 26, thanks to a hat trick from Viktor Gyökeres, a brace from Paulinho and a goal from Nuno Santos. The win maintains the team's perfect home record in the league after 13 games at the Estádio José Alvalade.
To face Boavista FC, who started the game in tenth place (28 points), coach Rúben Amorim made five changes to the starting eleven from the match against Atalanta BC. The injured Pedro Gonçalves and Marcus Edwards were out, with Sebastián Coates and Hidemasa Morita returning directly to the starting lineup and Nuno Santos, Geny Catamo and Paulinho also selected.
Although the away team had gone two games without losing (1-1 with FC Famalicão and 1-0 against Moreirense FC), as visitors they were on a run of four games without a victory (2D 2L).
Before the action got underway, Matheus Reis was honoured for reaching the milestone of 150 games for Sporting CP.
The game had a difficult start, as after the third minute, at the edge of the area, Gaius Makouta took advantage of a ball cleared by Franco Israel to make it 0-1 to Boavista FC.
A few moments later, Sporting CP had a goal flagged offside to deny Francisco Trincão. Soon after, Paulinho and Matheus Reis both called goalkeeper João Gonçalves into action with crosses that swerved towards goal, and Viktor Gyökeres struck an effort over the crossbar.
Little by little, Sporting CP pushed Boavista FC back and began to impose their game. In the best opportunity of this spell, Ousmane Diomande and Paulinho combined and Gyökeres' shot failed to find the target.
In turn, the visitors from the city of Porto started to waste time, and also did not shy away from accumulating fouls and breaking, whenever possible, the rhythm of the match.
After half an hour, referee António Nobre decided to show a yellow card to each side – for Salvador Agra and Morten Hjulmand – which provoked strong protests from the hosts.
After much insistence, Sporting CP equalised just before halftime. After Paulinho narrowly missed a cross from Gyökeres and Trincão shot from distance to produces a good save from João Gonçalves, the deserved goal to make it 1-1 finally came.
The roles were reversed and this time it was Paulinho, on the left, setting up his Swedish teammate, who sent the ball into the net.
Amorim immediately brought on midfielder Daniel Bragança in the second half in place of Hjulmand, and Sporting CP went out in search of completing the turnaround, maintaining the total dominance with which they ended the first half. In the 49th minute a double opportunity came their way, but Coates' header was saved and on the rebound Diomande hit the ball badly and missed the target.
The goal to take the score to 2-1 didn't take much longer in coming, and in the 54th minute, Geny Catamo sent a perfect, arcing cross into the area and found Paulinho for the finish.
Gonçalo Inácio replaced Matheus Reis after the goal, as the home side pushed for more.
In the area, Gyökeres pulled inside and shot low into the back of the net in the 68th minute and, around ten minutes later, sealed his hat trick by converting a penalty for his 22nd league goal.
Between Gyökeres' two goals, Paulinho had also had an attempt with a header, but was denied by João Gonçalves.
With Eduardo Quaresma, Ricardo Esgaio and Koba Koindredi on the pitch, the action continued with further goals.
It was Nuno Santos' opportunism inside the area, pushing a ball across the line, which made it 5-1, then Paulinho rounded off the night with the final strike.
With the final score at 6-1, league leaders Sporting CP reinforced their status as the most successful attack in the league, with 75 goals scored.
After the international break, they travel to take on CF Estrela da Amadora.
Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Geny Catamo, Ousmane Diomande (Eduardo Quaresma, 72’), Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis (Gonçalo Inácio, 55’), Morten Hjulmand (Daniel Bragança, 46’), Hidemasa Morita (Koba Koindredi, 84’), Francisco Trincão (Ricardo Esgaio, 84’), Paulinho e Viktor Gyökeres.
