Goal Teo Gutiérrez goal gives Sporting five point lead at the top of I Liga

Sporting held firm against a stubborn Estoril this Saturday evening, claiming a well-earned three points courtesy of a penalty converted on by Teófilo Gutiérrez at the start of the second-half.

With Gelson in for the suspended Adrien and the deployment of João Mário down the middle of the park, it was was obvious from early on that Estoril had come to Alvalade looking for an upset. In fact the visitors could have taken the lead after just 40 seconds, when Dieguinho took a first crack at Rui Patrício. Sporting held down the majority of possession, but space was scarce in the final third and closed defensive ranks starved the encounter of creativity, while Estoril looked happy to attack on the break down the flanks. On 18 minutes, after Slimani had come close with a header, Bruno César pulled a superb diving save out of Patrício.

Sporting livened up around the half-hour mark, pegging Estoril back and securing play in the opposition half. However, the forward lines were finding it difficult to create a clean chance on goal and a blank scoreboard at half-time was largely fair.

The interval proved just the trick for Jorge Jesus' side, with the Sporting coach's fine-tuning unlocking Estoril at the back. Chance after chance followed, including a 50th minute golden opportunity that Bryan Ruiz was unable to convert on after a cross from João Pereira. Just seconds earlier Mano looked to have cut out a cross with his arm, but the referee waved away the appeals for a spot kick.

The goal finally game in the 55th minute, when some collective play found Teófilo Gutiérrez just off to the side of the six-yard box, only for the Colombian to be brought down for a penalty that he himself calmly slotted in. The goal blew a whole in the heart of the Estoril defence and more chances naturally followed. Gelson forced a stop out of Kieszek in the 57th minute and nine minutes later Jefferson came painfully close to doubling the lead. Sporting could well have killed the game off with a series of opportunities as the clock ticked down and Bruno César fired a shot over in the 88th minute for the visitors, while there was still time for both Matheus Pereira and Bruno Paulista to make their I Liga debuts.

The result sees Sporting move five points clear at the top of I Liga.

Sporting B coach on his side's draw with Varzim

The Sporting B coach João de Deus was evidently unhappy with his side's 0-0 draw with Varzim this Saturday afternoon, in a game with very few opportunities on goal.

“Our opponent was better than us in the first-half. They were on top of the game. We couldn't grasp the fact that we can't always boss the play and that we can't let our opposition gain confidence. The changes we made balanced the game a bit in the second-half, but we still kept making mistakes and we are not happy with how we performed today. We didn't play how we can or how we should. We really have to understand the level we are playing at and that we have to keep mistakes to a minimum", said Deus at the final whistle.

Sporting B held to battling draw by Varzim

Sporting B were forced to split the points with Varzim on II Liga matchday 13, at the Sporting Academy.

It was immediately obvious that the afternoon would be more of a battle for possession than an demonstration of attacking football, with Varzim packing four into the middle and hindering the efforts of the Alvalade forward trio of Rafael Barbosa, Diogo Salomão and Viola.

In fact, Sporting B didn't create a single opportunity on goal in the entire first-half, but Varzim were also looking remarkably unthreatening moving up the pitch. Pedro Silva pulled off a hand full of solid saves in the Sporting B goal, denying João Carneiro the opener. Neither team was really managing to get an effective grip on the encounter, but it was Nuno Capucho's side who looked the better of the two. Bruno Moraes was unable to keep his header on target, before Seejou King raced back to clear off the line after Stanley had picked out Bruno Moraes in front of goal.

The second-half was much of the same, with very few opportunities and Varzim looking slightly more convincing. Bruno Moraes again tried his luck, but the Brazilian was again off target. Sporting B finally started to push forward as the clock ticked on, but Viola's attempts failed to hit the mark and left Ricardo largely untroubled.

On 69 minutes, Bijou picked out Nelsinho, but Sporting B keeper Pedro Silva was on hand to maintain his cleansheet. In response, Francisco Geraldes exchanged passes well with Podence and found an inch of space in the area, but he was unable to find the back of the net in what was Sporting B's best chance of the afternoon. Viola again threatened late on, but the last chance of the game fell to Stanley with a shot that took a kind deflection off Domingos Duarte to almost get the better of Pedro Silva.

The result keeps Sporting B in third place in II Liga, with 22 points.

Jorge Jesus includes 18 players to host Estoril

Jorge Jesus has named 18 players in his squad for Saturday's hosting of Estoril in Estádio José Alvalade, on I Liga matchday 9:

Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício and Marcelo Boeck

Defenders: Jefferson, Ewerton, Tobias, Paulo Oliveira and João Pereira

Midfielders: William, João Mário, André Martins and Bruno Paulista

Forwards: Slimani, Montero, Teo Gutierrez, Bryan Ruiz, Carlos Mané, Gelson Martins and Matheus Pereira

Sporting-Estoril will get underway at 20h45 on Saturday, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Rafael Barbosa in II Liga matchday 13 press conference

Sporting B midfielder Rafael Barbosa was with the press ahead of this weekend’s hosting of Varzim, in a match that will see his side looking to build on last week’s win in the Azores against Santa Clara.

“Varzim are a strong side who like to play good football, so our idea is to stop them from playing. They are flying right now after a good win against Desp. Chaves”, said the former Sporting youth team skipper, going on to highlight the differences between youth football and the senior game: “The pace and competitiveness is completely different. II Liga has a lot of unpredictable games. It has been hard, but I am adapting well.”

Sporting B-Varzim will kick off at 15h00 on Saturday, at the Sporting Academy. The match will be broadcast live on Sporting TV.

Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on Saturday's hosting of Estoril

“We want to carry on in first and we will do everything possible to defend that”, opened Jorge Jesus in a pre-match press conference on Friday, ahead of his side’s hosting of Estoril.

Coming into the encounter on the back of a moralising 3-0 away win against Benfica, the Sporting coach warned caution against the weekend’s visitors: “We know we will be playing against one of the strongest teams in the league. They have quality players and they will cause problems for us. We have been working hard during the week to be ready and we don’t underestimate anybody, especially Estoril. We have identified certain targets, such as Bruno César, who was my player and he is strong from dead ball situations.

“As soon as you go clear at the top of the league, you become a target for the teams that are fighting for that position. There is still a long way to go, but we want to be at the top of the league for as long as possible”, added the Sporting coach, finishing: “We are hoping that the fans turn out in force. It is for them that we work hard to give them quality and something to be happy about week in week out. We have scored 17 goals and only conceded two in the last four games, which I am obviously happy about and it shows the work we have been putting in.”

Sporting-Estoril will kick off on Saturday at 20h45, in Estádio José Alvalade.

João Matos for II Liga matchday 13

João Matos, 31, from the Viana do Castelo Football Association, has been named to take charge of Sporting B’s hosting of Varzim, on II Liga matchday 13.

José Rio and Jorge Brito will act as linesmen.

Sporting B-Varzim will kick off on Satuday at 15h00, at the Sporting Academy. The encounter will be broadcast live on Sporting TV.

Jorge Ferreira for I Liga matchday 9

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Paulo Oliveira on his side's 3-0 derby win

“We showed we are a great team, because only a great team can come to Estádio da Luz and win 3-0”, affirmed Paulo Oliveira at the final whistle on Sunday.

For the young Portuguese international, the result was a reflection on the homework done by his side during the week: “We showed that we had studied and everyone knew what to do. Everyone in the group knows what we are capable of, but this win doesn’t mean much if we can’t repeat it in our next matches.”

The Alvalade defender went on to praise the influence of Jorge Jesus: “The coach did a great job getting us ready for this game, because he knows this Benfica team and he turned that into something that helped us. We proved today that we are a great team and we want that to be normal for us.”

Alvalade skipper praises his side's showing in Estádio da Luz

“Both sides showed intensity and quality, despite what people were saying in the build-up to the game”, said Adrien in a flash interview with radio journalists after his side’s 3-0 derby win.

For the Alvalade skipper, his side set the bar with Sunday’s performance, but the title is still a long way off: “The players set an example. A lot was said before the match, but the players were focused on doing their best. Fortunately we got the best result we could here tonight. It is still too early to be talking about the title, but it is always important to win a derby.”