Sporting put three past Marítimo to keep up the pressure on Liga NOS top spot
Sporting CP beat Marítimo 3-1 this Saturday night, with an effective performance in front of goal that keeps up the pressure on the league leaders with five matches still to play.
Jorge Jesus' side tried to replicate their early strikes against Arouca and Belenenses and chances certainly were not lacking in the opening exchanges, with Salin called into action on several occasion. The first real opportunity come from a header from Bryan Ruiz, but the Costa Rican was unable to find the mark after a a cross from Teo Gutiérrez. In reply Marítimo had to shots of their own, however both efforts floated harmlessly over Rui Patrício's crossbar.
Marítimo's strategy essentially boiled down to an attempt to stretch play, but Sporting's calculated defensive positioning and high pressure marking smothered out the visitors' good intentions. In fact, it was only for a bit of hestitation that Maritimo didn't concede a goal earlier, with Slimani taking just a second to long to get his shots away. More practical was Bruno César's foray forward, as the Brazilian floated in from what is for him an unusual left-back position to blast a shot just wide in the 29th minute. Despite the one way traffic towards the Marítimo goal, the team from Madeira responded with a couple of efforts down the other end, however Patrício made a pair of smart saves to match.
In reply, Sporting finally found the back of the net, courtesy in part to a wicked deflection off João Diogo from a Teo Gutiérrez shot. Although the initial effort did seem to be heading goalwards, the ball looped over Salin to finally do justice to the scoreboard, three minutes before the break.
The second-half got underway with three corners for Sporting, but it was from open play that Jorge Jesus' side doubled their lead. William, given the responsibility of filling in more forward position along side Aquilani in the absence of the suspended Adrien, broke forward and put a left footed shot across the face of Salin and in at the far post.
The 50 minute mark saw Marítimo start to waver under the hail of Sporting's attacking football and dominance in possession, inviting the hosts to come forward in search of a third. It was Slimani who typically obliged, left with an envious tap in after João Mário's initial shot has been blocked by the Marítimo defence.
With the game simmering towards the inevitable conclusion, concentration began to slip and Ghazaryan made the most of a loose ball at the edge of the area to pull a goal back with nine minutes to play. However, the late consolation made little difference and their was still time for Matheus to leave a golden opportunity wanting in front of Salin.
